Rembrandt's masterful Bathsheba Reading King David's Letter is unusual both as a history painting and as a portrayal of a nude. Instead of displaying a sumptuous body for the viewer's delectation, Bathsheba elicits our empathy. This collection of essays by six leading Rembrandt scholars examines its qualities from perspectives ranging from changing perceptions of female beauty and the nude, to technical analysis, and biographical and psychological analysis of the artist, the subject, and the viewer.
