David and Abigail
1765.Not on display
David stands on the right, surrounded by his troops. Kneeling before him is Abigail, who shows him the amphorae containing food for his army. Between them is a dwarf jester.
This drawing is a copy of Luca Giordano’s painting on the subject, which is kept in the Museo del Prado (P000166). However, its proportions have been altered from landscape to vertical. The drawing was undoubtedly made in preparation for the tapestry cartoons about the story of David, which was woven at the Royal Tapestry Factory. In 1765, Mengs ordered that Castillo be paid five thousand reales de vellón just for the cartoon of David and Abigail.
Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso E., Museo del Prado, Catálogo de Dibujos, III. Dibujos Españoles. Siglo XVIII. C-Z, Madrid, 1977, p.25-26
