We don't know much about Cavallino (cah vuh LEE no).
He was an
Italian, born in Naples. There are only eight paintings remaining that
are signed by him. It is possible that some of his paintings were sold
with other artists' signatures on them.
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He preferred doing small paintings and he liked to
paint religious
figures and scenes from the Bible. Sometimes he painted characters from
Roman mythology.
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In the 1600's a disease called bubonic plague killed
thousands of
people in Europe. It is thought that Cavallino died in the plague in
1656.
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In this painting we see David, the shepherd boy, who
was also a
musician, playing to help to soothe the troubled mind of King Saul.
When David played Saul felt better. Today we might refer to this as
"music therapy".
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Later Saul would become jealous of David because David
became very
popular with the people. David also became Saul's son-in-law through
his marriage to Saul's daughter, Michael.
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David was a good friend to Jonathan. Possibly the
young man nearest
Saul represents his son, Jonathan.
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The artist highlights David by showing him in white
clothing and making his features distinct.
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Another religious painting by Cavallino is Queen Esther appearing before King Ahaseurus. She is pleading for the lives of the Jewish people who had been ordered to be killed.
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The story of the
friendship of David and Jonathan can be found in the Bible in First Samuel
chapter 20.
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