![Rembrandt - Bathsheba at her Bath [1654] by Gandalf's Gallery](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3108/13055810804_37dca8683e.jpg)
A depiction that is both sensual and empathetic, this painting shows a moment from the Old Testament story in which King David sees Bathsheba bathing and, entranced, seduces and impregnates her. In order to marry Bathsheba and conceal his sin, David sends her husband into battle and orders his generals to abandon him, leaving him to certain death. While the scene of David spying on Bathsheba had been painted by earlier artists, Rembrandt's depiction differs in its tight pictorial focus and erotic vitality, achieved through broad, thick brushstrokes and vibrant colouration.
[Musée du Louvre, Paris - Oil on canvas, 142 x 142 cm]