Konrad Witz (Nachfolge)
Old Testament scene (Abishai before King David)
Description
Depicted is a rarely depicted scene from the Old Testament (2 Sam. 23, 15-20): The warrior Abishai brings King David water from the well in Bethlehem. The composition is inspired by a panel from the lower right register on the inside of the right wing of the Basel Altarpiece of the Mirror of Salvation by Konrad Witz, now in the Kunstmuseum Basel (inv. no. 641), painted around 1431. The background for the two figures is a richly ornamented gold ground, while the tiled floor provides spatial depth.