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John Boswell claimed that David and Jonathan were medieval symbols of same-sex love. I don't know if that's true, but what I *have* noticed is that medieval art depicts King David with a LOT of naked men.
(Lausanne, Bibliothèque cantonale, MS U 964, f. 213v) #MedievalTwitter
(Lausanne, Bibliothèque cantonale, MS U 964, f. 213v) #MedievalTwitter
Here David speaks to God, while hounds pursue a naked man on a deer's back in the lower margin.
Hunting was a common sexual metaphor, and it's the nude man being hunted here.
(Walters Art Museum, W45 ,f. 71r)
Hunting was a common sexual metaphor, and it's the nude man being hunted here.
(Walters Art Museum, W45 ,f. 71r)
In this manuscript page, a nude man fires an arrow (perhaps a representation of Cupid?) at David, as David plays his harp.
Two wild men, seemingly naked and covered with hair, wrestle at the bottom of the page.
(Morgan, MS M.463, f. 276v)
Two wild men, seemingly naked and covered with hair, wrestle at the bottom of the page.
(Morgan, MS M.463, f. 276v)
There's also a whole manuscript tradition of King David meeting a half-naked fool character.
(Morgan, MS M.79, f. 060v)
(Morgan, MS M.79, f. 060v)
There are a LOT of examples of this. David is constantly speaking to a half-naked man.
(Morgan, MS G.42.167v, MS M.200, f. 443r)
(Morgan, MS G.42.167v, MS M.200, f. 443r)
A half-naked David looks up, praying, while a fully naked man in the lower margin looks up, mimicking David's gesture.
(Morgan, MS M.729, f. 346r)
(Morgan, MS M.729, f. 346r)
David plays music in the upper left-hand corner, while a nude man plays music in the lower corner. A hare sits in the upper margin. Worth noting that hares could be symbols of sodomy.
(Walters, MS W82, f. 15r)
(Walters, MS W82, f. 15r)
In this manuscript page, David's praying gaze is directed up towards a naked youth playing with a dog.
(Morgan Library, MS M.172, f. 078r)
(Morgan Library, MS M.172, f. 078r)
This one has a praying David with nude putti both above and below him.
(Morgan, MS M.305, f. 123r)
(Morgan, MS M.305, f. 123r)
Finally, in this one, David prays opposite a naked wild man with a long penis, whose crossed arms mimic David's clasped hands.
(Morgan, MS M.161, f. 080r)
(Morgan, MS M.161, f. 080r)
Does it mean anything? Who can say. But there are a lot of naked men in manuscripts near David.
I think we need to be open to seeing queer possibilities, without reaching for a desire for "proof."
(Morgan, MS M.29, f. 009r)
I think we need to be open to seeing queer possibilities, without reaching for a desire for "proof."
(Morgan, MS M.29, f. 009r)
