David Promises Bathsheba that Solomon Will Rule

"David Promises Bathsheba that Solomon Will Rule," attributed to After Raphael and his workshop Italian, after 16th century, is an insightful drawing created in Italy sometime between 1700 and 1899. This piece depicts the critical moment from the Old Testament where the ailing King David assures Bathsheba that their son, Solomon, will inherit the throne, resolving the question of succession. Although executed centuries after the original design, the work reflects the enduring stylistic and compositional influence of the High Renaissance master and his prolific circle.

The work is classified as a Drawing, demonstrating sophisticated mixed media usage. The artist employed brush and brown ink, overlaid with green and brown washes to establish tone and shadow, effectively mimicking the qualities of an oil sketch. Highlights were painstakingly applied using white gouache, a technique known as "heightening," which provides the composition with added dimensionality and dramatic focus. These elements were developed over an initial graphite sketch on grayish green wove paper, suggesting this may have been an academic exercise or a preparatory study for a painting or print cycle, genres popular in Italy during the 18th and 19th centuries.

While the composition clearly derives from a sixteenth-century model associated with Raphael’s designs, its later execution places it within the tradition of reproductive drawing common during the Neoclassical and Romantic eras. The continued study and copying of Renaissance masters was fundamental to artistic training in Italy. This particular interpretation of the story of David and Bathsheba is preserved in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. This historic drawing ensures that the master composition remains available for study, often making such images accessible in the public domain for research and the creation of fine art prints.