King David plays the harp

This panel depicting King David Playing the Harp dates from 1423 and is associated with Gentile da Fabriano's great Strozzi Altarpiece in the Uffizi. David was traditionally considered the author of the Psalms and was frequently depicted as a musician in medieval and Renaissance art. The panel may have formed part of the elaborate frame or predella of the Adoration of the Magi altarpiece. It is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The inclusion of Old Testament figures in altarpiece programs reflected the typological thinking that connected Jewish prophets and kings with Christ's lineage.

The small panel demonstrates Gentile's miniaturist precision, with the figure of David rendered in fine detail against a gold background. The king's robes are decorated with the elaborate patterning characteristic of Gentile's International Gothic style, while the harp is depicted with careful attention to its construction. The rich tempera colors and gold tooling maintain the decorative splendor of the main altarpiece to which this panel originally belonged.