David and Jonathan
by CIMA da Conegliano, Oil on panel, 41 x 39 cm
The subject of the painting is extremely unusual in Italian Renaissance painting. It was probably painted for a private patron with a special interest in the subject.
Jonathan was the son of Saul, king of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and David was the son of Jesse of Bethlehem and Jonathan’s presumed rival for the crown. David eventually becomes king. The friendship between David and Jonathan was a covenantal relationship. The traditional and mainstream religious interpretation of the relationship has been one of platonic love and an example of homosociality. Some later Medieval and Renaissance literature drew upon the story to underline strong personal friendships between men.