The impact of the Bible on Christian art of the Medieval and Renaissance periods is second to no other source. Both the New and Old Testaments were endless sources of inspiration for visual artists. In addition to the Bible artists also drew on popular literature in which Biblical stories were rewritten and amplified and on a considerable body of theological writing which commented on the meanings of persons and events in the Bible. The presentation of Biblical incidents in Christian art varied depending on the particular symbolic or iconographical approach of the artist and the specific purpose of the work. The range of uses of the Bible in art requires art historians to possess a firm grasp of the sources and broad knowledge of the meanings attached to Biblical events by artists, patrons and audiences in various historical periods. A review of some uses of the story of David demonstrates the impact the story had on artists and audiences and how its meanings were adapted to fit particular circumstances.
The story of David in 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel and 1 Kings is one of the most extensive biographical narratives in the Bible. In addition many of the Psalms were widely believed to have been composed by David. This material provided a wealth of meanings for artists and theologians and made David one of the most popular and easily recognized of Old Testament figures in art.
Generally the use of Old Testament figures in art was "typological" in that the images or events of the Old Testament had "corresponding images or incident-types in the New Testament" (Dillenberger 31). For example, the three days Jonah spent inside the whale were seen as a prefiguration of the three days that Christ was buried before His resurrection. At the basic level typological symbols are poetic analogies that enhance the viewers' appreciation of the stories. But the connection between the Old and New Testaments was also a vital concern of the early...