Galerie Maeght, Paris
Galerie David et Garnier, Paris
Private Collection, Tokyo (acquired from the above)
Sale: Paul & Jacques Martin, Paris, March 2, 1980, lot 110
Acquired at the above sale

Osaka, Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, no. 66

Work is in excellent condition, pigments are bright and fresh. Executed on card, not laid down. Sheet is fixed to mount at two points along upper edge. Extreme perimeter of sheet shows evidence of minor frame rubbing. There is a 0.5in. tear toward upper left corner. There is an artist's pinhole in each of the upper corners. Some very minor shrinkage visible in the areas of thickest pigment: notably in certain strokes of the pale pink coat and the light gray-blue pigment towards the upper left corner. There are some faint water marks on the male figure's upper arm which are possibly inherent to the artist's technique
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Throughout his career, Marc Chagall continually drew upon themes and stories from the Bible to inform his masterful compositions. “Ever since early childhood,” he explained, “I have been captivated by the bible. It has always seemed to me and still seems today the greatest source of poetry of all time” (quoted in Jacob Baal-Teshuva, ed., Chagall, A Retrospective, New York, 1995, p. 295). The figure of David has long provided inspiration for artists—from the Dutch Masters to Modern painters such as Paul Cézanne (see fig. 1)—and the biblical King, whose story is told in the eleventh chapter of the second book of Samuel, achieves a particular significance in Chagall’s oeuvre. There are many reasons why King David may have resonated with the imagination of the Russian artist—David rose from humble beginnings to a figure of greatness, overcoming adversity and finding love along the way. Chagall himself was born and raised in the impoverish village of Vitebsk. He was the eldest of nine siblings to a fishing merchant father and a mother who sold groceries from their home. After traveling to Paris to begin work as an artist, and after the delays imposed by World War I, Chagall married his childhood sweetheart Bella, to whom he remained devoted until her death in 1944; he achieved international acclaim as an artist within his lifetime and is today hailed as one of the most influential and distinctive painters of the twentieth century.

Chagall has chosen to depict a tender and intimate moment in the life of the biblical King. The female figure is most probably Bathsheba, a married woman with whom David had an illicit affair. They had a child together and after the death of her husband at last she and David wed. Rather than emphasizing the moment at which the desirous King famously catches sight of Bathsheba bathing, Chagall articulates the tenderness of the tale—the figures clutch each other in a concentrated embrace, surrounded by Chagall’s familiar motifs of harp and moon which heighten the aura of romance. The couple are floating in a blue background which is punctuated by the gold of the crown, the green blush on the King’s cheek and scattered dashes of other colors. Chagall has demonstrated the tale’s impact on him as a “source of poetry” as he renders the King’s great love for his future wife, particularly as he integrates his characteristic motifs and brilliant eye for color to create a highly arresting and romantic composition.