This series illustrating the Story of King David, consisting of forty‑eight engravings (in this album, the tenth print and the additional title page are missing), was published in 1575 and constitutes a collaboration between Christopher Plantin, who was responsible for printing the texts, and Philips Galle, who printed the illustrations. The introductory text and the inscriptions were written by Benito Arias Montano. The Latin inscriptions in the margins of the illustrations associate each scene from the Story of King David with an aspect of virtue, as the series was intended as a model of behaviour for rulers. This intention is confirmed by the dedication of the series to King Philip II.
This album, however, contains only the illustrations. A copy of the series with the texts is preserved in a book with other series at the Plantin‑Moretus Museum (MPM A 1836). The compositions have been attributed to Gerard van Groeningen (nos. 1–21; PK.OPB.0262.01–PK.OPB.0262.20) and Crispijn van den Broeck (nos. 22–48; PK.OPB.0262.21–PK.OPB.0262.47).
The only engraver identified by name is Johannes Sadeler I, who signed plate number 10 (missing in this album) and plate number 16 (PK.OPB.0262.15). Prints number 33 (PK.OPB.0262.32) and 41 (PK.OPB.0262.40) have also been attributed to Sadeler. The other engravers involved remain anonymous.
The state of this specific album is not recorded in the New Hollstein catalogues and may represent an intermediary state between the first state (with one number in the upper margin) and the second state, which presents an additional number in the lower margin as well as references to the Scriptures (this album also bears two numbers, but does not yet include references to the Scriptures).
