The copperplate was in the sale of Pieter de Haan (1767, lot 9) and sold, via Fouquet, to Claude-Henri Watelet (1718-1786). It then became part of the set of plates subsequently owned and used for printing Recueils by Pierre-François Basan (1723-1797), Henri-Louis Basan (his nr 1378), Auguste Jean (ca 1809), Veuve Jean, Auguste and Michel Bernard (1846), Alvin-Beaumont (1906) and Robert Lee Humber (1937). It was sold at the Artemis sale in London (1993) and is now in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 11, verses 4 and 5.
The harp on the ground identifies the praying person as King David. Since this moment is not mentioned in the Bible, it is unclear what David is praying for. It may well be for his mortally ill son he has with Bathscheba, at the time the wife of Uriah. It is not a good time for music, hence the fallen position of the harp. But he may also be praying for forgiveness for an earlier sin: after seeing her naked taking a bath, he forced her to commit adultery with him, in the same bed.

Lucas van Leyden made two etchings of this subject, dated 1505 and 1520 (NHD 28 and 29), which may have served as models for this etching. The difference being that both etchings show David outdoors. Münz points at woodcuts by Hans Holbein in which David occurs repenting.

New Hollstein lists only one copy in which David is changed into a young woman praying. It is by John Raphael Smith, signed R,Cosway Esqr., R.A. Delt and inscribed Devotion (240 x 138 mm).

Schwartz considers this etching to be one of the most striking of the smaller ones, because of the sober composition. The etching is considered as special by Blanc. Wilson judges this plate “not well executed” and “possessing but little taste”.

The New Hollstein lists one state only. There are impressions on Japanese paper and vellum.

Of the 1st state there is an impression in red ink in the Rijksmuseum and five impressions on Japanese paper.
Nowell-Usticke considers the (unchanged) impressions in the Recueil de Basan to be very strong.

In the 1st state: Countermark FD; Foolscap with five-pointed collar; Strasbourg lily.

H 258, BB 52-C, G 40, M 232, Mz 182, RA 140-141, Cl 45, W 45, Bl 13, Du 44, CD 216, S 9 and 10.
Spijkerboer 2006, p. 121; Hinterding 2008, p. 94ff; Verdi 2014, p. 128; Rosenberg 2017, p. 130.

New Hollstein: 2nd state of III/White-Boon: 3rd state of III.
A good, dark, but later impression with strong contrasts. Probably a Basan impression or slightly earlier, since the horizontal scratch across David´s back is showing clearly. The many new shaded areas are not visible, confirming a 2nd state (NH). Verso a large ink spot, also visible recto. Some small colouring marks.
Sheet: 149 mm x 98/100 mm, margins of approx. 3 mm all around (+11%).
No watermark, vertical chain lines at approx. 30 mm.

In the collection of Reverend J. Burleigh James (Mid-19th century, Knowbury Park, Lugt 1425), his collector’s mark in grey ink verso.

Rembrandt in Zwart-Wit, Museum Gouda, July – October 2014;