David from BL Eg 2019, f. 104 - Public domain medieval manuscript

Miniature of David penitent, praying to the Holy Trinity within a walled garden, with his harp and crown on the ground beside him, with a large historiated initial 'D'(omine) containing David in an open arm gesture with his harp behind, and biblical scenes in quatrefoils in the margins, with a full foliate border. Image taken from f. 104 of Book of Hours, Use of Paris. Written in Latin and some French.

David was a skilled musician and poet, and he played the harp to soothe King Saul when he was tormented by evil spirits. David's musical abilities and his role as a psalmist also led him to be associated with the worship of God and with the expression of devotion and praise. The image of David playing the harp remains a symbol of the connection between music, worship, and devotion in Western tradition.

The Egerton Manuscript Collection is named after its founder, Sir Thomas Egerton (1540-1617), 1st Viscount Brackley, was a lawyer, statesman, and patron of the arts during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I of England. He served as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal and later as Lord Chancellor of England, holding high positions in the legal and political realms.

Sir Thomas Egerton acquired a substantial number of historical and literary manuscripts. In 1617, shortly before his death, Sir Thomas Egerton bequeathed his collection of manuscripts to the British Museum, which was the precursor to the British Library.