This item is a steel engraving from the painting by D.W. Wynfield called “DAVID PLAYING BEFORE SAUL.”  It was engraved by S.S. Smith and published in 1880.  The engraving is in very good condition.  The engraving measures 6” x 11”, and is matted to 11” x 14” for easy framing.

   Among Mr. Wynfield’s exhibited pictures it is seldom we find that he has selected subjects taken from Scripture narrative; we recall, indeed, but three, and these are among his later productions – ‘Ruth and Boaz,’; ‘Joseph making himself known to his Brethren,’ displayed at Royal Academy Exhibition; and this engraving, ‘David Playing Before Saul,’ which was in the London Royal Academy of 1876. Attached to the title in the catalogue was a reference to the words in Samuel xvi. 23: “And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp, and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.” The first King of Israel, who was given in compliance with their worldly and ambitious desires, though goodly in person, in character was morbid, jealous, and irritable; and when, after repeated acts of disobedience and iniquity, the Spirit of the Lord was taken from him, unchecked fits of envious passion became so terrible that but one among his household ventured to stay in the presence of the infuriated man. And yet, as is often the case, the very gentle courage and irreproachable conduct of the young shepherd of Bethlehem, with possibly the presentiment that he was destined to succeed him on the throne of Israel, was such a reproach to one who made himself a victim to his sins, that even as David sang sweet melodies to the harp which had so often sounded over the hills of Lebanon and the plains of the Jordan, the unrestful, suspicious heart made him well-nigh a murderer as well as a hater of the young musician. Mr. Wynfield’s rendering of the incident is appreciative and striking; the suppressed rage of the king, with the maniacal expression and the hardly restrained action, as one hand clutches the arm of the chair and the other is raised in an uneasy, irate manner to his mouth, depict much force, and contrast strongly with the calm face and attitude of the “sweet singer of Israel,” while the anxious though cowardly attendants, who half draw aside the curtain, repeat the tale of their fear and the monarch’s fury, the significance whereof is increased by the dull and unadorned apartment, which is in harmony with the gloom and mental desolateness of the unhappy Saul. All this, again, proves how carefully the artist applies himself to his subject, adhering always to the side of truth rather than to that of fiction and his own imagination.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

Antique prints, engravings, and lithographs are printing processes, which use steel, copper, stone or wood blocks or plates to produce a picture on paper.

Most antique prints and engravings, which are seen on the internet today, are bookplates.  Because they are pages from a book, there are multiple copies in existence.  This does not, however, mean that they are "reproductions" that have been printed recently.  Because they were, at some point, part of books, some have been preserved in excellent condition, while others show signs of age, as yellow spots or darkness on the edge of the page from being handled.

Engravings, and lithographs are high quality pieces of art, as it took a highly trained artist many hours of work to produce one.  Although there may be multiple copies still in existence, the date of the item should be stated, thus giving the buyer an idea of its age.