Uriah before King David 1630 - 1674

This pen and brown ink drawing, "Uriah before King David," was created by Dutch artist Gerbrand van den Eeckhout between 1630 and 1674. The drawing depicts the biblical scene in which Uriah, a loyal soldier, is asked by King David to deliver a letter to his commanding officer. The letter, however, is a ploy by David to get Uriah killed so that he can marry Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. The drawing is a preparatory study for a larger painting and shows Eeckhout's interest in the dramatic potential of historical scenes. The drawing is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.