King David

King David is clad as a Roman military leader, with breast plate, short tunic, cuisses and a draped mantle. On the other hand, his crown, decorated with lilies, reminds one of traditional Gothic insignia. The biblical singer strums a harp as David is believed to be the author of the psalms and is therefore considered the patron of poets and musicians. His massive athletic body charmingly contrasts with the delicate movement of the hands. Leonhard Kern's masterly skill in carving combines a superb understanding of human anatomy with a broad, almost cubic concept, to achieve a work of timeless classicism.