3-039-524 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

King David kneeling in prayer, cutting from a gradual, about 1440. Additional Info: A Gradual was a type of liturgical book used in medieval Christian worship services. Graduals were typically sizable volumes containing musical chants and readings for the Mass and other church services. It depicts King David kneeling in prayer as God raises his hands in blessing, conveying a profound sense of adversity and a plea for deliverance. The inspiration for this illustration comes from Psalm 24, a significant passage in the Book of Psalms in the Bible. This passage emphasizes the idea that the Earth and all that resides upon it belong to the Lord, underscoring a theme of worthiness and the pursuit of God's grace, which deeply influenced the visual representation in the cutting.