David and Avigayil in Art/0

David and Avigayil in Art

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Introduction

The story of David and Avigail, described in Shemul I 25, has all the elements of a great story: drama, suspense, romance, victory of good over evil and a happy ending. The three 17th century Baroque paintings shown here all illustrate the meeting, but each focuses on a different phase of the story.  The Flemish artist, Simon de Vos (1603-1676),¹ depicts the initial encounter, when David is still full of wrath (25:18-25).  His compatriot, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), focuses on the second phase of the story, Avigayil's attempts to diffuse David's anger (25:26-35), while Italian artist Guido Reni (1575-1642) portrays what appears to be the final phase of the encounter (25:32-35 or 42).

The Biblical Text

David hears that Naval, a very wealthy sheep herder, is celebrating the annual sheep-shearing festival in Carmel. He instructs ten of his men to graciously appraise Navel, on his behalf, of the protective help that his men had given to his shepherds, hinting that he desires a tangible expression of his appreciation. Not only does Navel refuse to given them anything, but he impugns the authority of David whom he insinuates is a mere brigand with no right to Navel’s hard earned profits. When David receives his men’s report, he is furious and orders 400 of his men to gird their swords and accompany him to kill Navel and his entire household.

Hearing from one of the servants all that has taken place, Avigayil, Naval’s wife, quickly acts to avert the looming disaster and prepares lavish and abundant amounts of food to be sent ahead of her appearance. When David and Avigayil suddenly meet up, she throws herself at his feet and names herself as responsible for the offense committed. In a long speech of 8 verses, Avigayil displays psychological insight and alludes to prophecies associated with David, as she succeeds in diffusing his anger, but also kindles his personal interest in herself. Meanwhile, Navel, drunk from all the merriment, is not aware of all that has transpired until Avigail informs him the following day. The news causes Naval to suffer a paralytic attack, and he dies 11 days later. Upon hearing that Naval has died, David sends for Avigayil to be his wife, an offer that she quickly and humbly consents to.

Contrasting Images

Simon de Vos

De Vos pays much attention to the setting, choosing a landscape and atmospheric effects that capture the drama of the narrative. The dark threatening sky contributes to a sense of an approaching danger, with a high wind that causes the military banners to wave and David’s red cape to billow in the wind. One might identify the hills dotted with houses, in the center-right of the canvas, with Navel’s properties in Carmel. The artist has filled the entire canvas with other painterly elements, such as color contrasts, movement, studies in human anatomy and a selection of animals and piles of food that cover the foreground. However, for de Vos it is Avigail’s display of humility that takes center stage at this moment of heightened danger for her, as Avigail confronts a mounted and armed David . After dismounting from her donkey, Avigail, dressed in white, falls to the ground and prostrates before David, with one hand on the ground, the other in a gesture of supplication, while her maid-servants look towards the light for salvation.

Rubens

Rubens provides a smaller amount of background than de Vos. On the left of the canvas, the artist paints a forested area, from where Avigayil and her entourage of two female and two male servants emerge. Gifts of breads in baskets are carried and placed on the ground by three servants. On the right side of the canvas are positioned seven, well armed soldiers, two of whom are on horses. Two young arms-bearers stand beside them, one carrying David’s helmet, the other holding the reins of his horse. Rubens chooses to portray the dramatic moment when a calmer David realizes the justice of Avigayil’s plea and seems to be offering to help a kneeling Avigayil up from the ground.

Guido Reni

In the third painting, Reni is not distracted by landscapes, atmospheric affects, multiple figures, or with a parade of gifts.The focus of this close-up of David and Avigayil is, instead, the moment of David’s recognition of Abigail’s wisdom and beauty and his gratitude for her action. The figures are treated in a classical idealized style, rich in color and with a calm that pervades the painting. Avigayil shows humility in the downward cast of her eyes and modesty in her grasp of her cloak, but she is presented as sitting on her donkey, higher than David. The artist takes this liberty as an expression of David’s looking up to and admiration for Avigail. David is portrayed in a very non-militaristic way. He wears no helmet and the appearance of his armor is subdued. The menacing faces behind David seem to fade out, while the faces of the maid-servants are bright, indicating the danger is over. David’s hands are on his hips and his face show an expression of wonderment. There is an outside light that illuminates the couple, towards which some of the figures are looking.

Relationship to the Biblical Text

The artists' choices reflect certain ambiguities in the Biblical text and different possible interpretive stances:

¹ Simon de Vos painted three versions of this narrative. Version I was painted in 1641, version II was painted in 1641 and version III was painted in 1655.  The image shown here is the earliest version.