Saul under the Influence of the Evil Spirit

According to the Hebrew Bible, Saul was chosen by God to be the first king of the Israelites. Saul lost God’s favor when he failed to follow his instructions. Then “an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.” Saul’s attendants called for David, a musician, to play for the king and calm him down. This sculpture portrays King Saul being tormented by the evil spirit before David calms him by playing his lyre. 

William Wetmore Story worked as a lawyer before he became an artist. He moved to Italy, where he spent the rest of his life and career. Many of his sculptures were inspired by figures from the Bible or ancient Greek plays. He is known for his ability to realistically depict the emotions of sculpted human figures. Story created Saul under the Influence of the Evil Spirit before and during the American Civil War. He was living overseas in Rome at the time, where his studio was a popular gathering place of artists and writers. 

This sculpture was shown at the Dublin International Exhibition in Ireland after its completion. A wealthy Englishman purchased the sculpture and brought it to his mansion at Rendcomb Park. It remained there, out of public view, for 153 years. Rendcomb Park became a boarding school in 1920. The NCMA bought the sculpture from Rendcomb College in 2018. NCMA Conservation specialists cleaned the sculpture thoroughly before it was installed in the Museum. They used a variety of substances to clean it, including human spit.