Transfiguration

David's Transfiguration of 1502 belongs to the period when he was the leading painter in Bruges following Memling's death in 1494, and he was producing both large altarpieces and smaller devotional panels for the wealthy merchant community of the city. The Transfiguration — Christ revealed as divine on Mount Tabor, appearing between Moses and Elijah before three apostles — was a relatively uncommon altarpiece subject compared to Nativity or Passion scenes, suggesting a specific patron request connected to a church or chapel dedication. David's treatment integrates his characteristic luminous landscape with the theological drama of revealed divinity.

The Transfiguration's challenge is representing supernatural light without abandoning naturalistic rendering, and David addresses this through the graduated white radiance around the central Christ figure. The apostles' prostration at the base of the composition creates a strong contrast with the elevated, luminous upper zone. David's Flemish landscape vocabulary — detailed foliage, soft atmospheric distance — frames the mystical event.