David, King and Prophet
King David is depicted frontally, either profile or bust. He is almost always dressed in rich, traditionally Byzantine clothes. In the early representations, the clothes resemble the Emperor aulic attire, while in later ones they are imitations of post-Byzantine court garments. David is seen as an elderly grey-haired man, sometimes the hair is completely white. The hair and beard are well-groomed. The character is usually crowned. The style of the crown witnesses specific local and historical period traits. When the artist wished to enhance the prophet identity of the character, the depicted headwear resembles a skullcap. The head could also be surrounded by a halo.
The gestures reflect both the auctorial and prophetic qualities of the character: he is holding a scroll – allusion to the Psalms - while the other hand is either blessing or writing.
King David is depicted frontally, either profile or bust. He is almost always dressed in rich, traditionally Byzantine clothes. In the early representations, the clothes resemble the Emperor aulic attire, while in later ones they are imitations of post-Byzantine court garments. David is seen as an elderly grey-haired man, sometimes the hair is completely white. The hair and beard are well-groomed. The character is usually crowned. The style of the crown witnesses specific local and historical period traits. When the artist wished to enhance the prophet identity of the character, the depicted headwear resembles a skullcap. The head could also be surrounded by a halo.
The gestures reflect both the auctorial and prophetic qualities of the character: he is holding a scroll – allusion to the Psalms - while the other hand is either blessing or writing.
