Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669

Bathing Bathsheba (1654)

oil on canvas (142 × 142 cm) — 1654 Musée du Louvre, Paris

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn biography

This work is linked to 2 Samuel 11:4

The beautiful Bathsheba is holding the letter in which David demands her presence. This meeting will result in a pregnancy. David then arranges Bathsheba's husband Uriah to be killed in battle. Bathsheba moves in with David, but their child dies soon after it is born.

Rembrandt depicts Bathsheba with great melancholy, as if she already knows what is about to happen. The letter is not mentioned in the Bible. Perhaps Rembrandt thought it would be a good idea to visualize the king's message.

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