Description:Rectangular painting depicting the Old Testament story of the death of King Saul. Painting shows a tumultuous battle scene with men in mortal combat and the dead on the field. Saul lies dying in the center of the painting with several angels, the foremost holding a sword flying directly above him.
History:Born in Bavaria, J.A.S. Oertel spent his early years studying with a Lutheran clergyman and also studied art in Munich with engraver J. M. Enzing-Muller. After moving to Newark, N.J. in 1848, he spent the next forty-four years working as a drawing instructor, painter, and rector. One of these drawing jobs was as an instructor of fine arts at Washington University. He always looked upon religious art as his chief vocation, and his paintings and ecclesiastical wood carving were his principal means of support. His work is held by the University of the South, Washington Cathedral, and the National Gallery at Washington. His papers, including his diary are in the collections of George Washington University in D.C. He spent a fair amount of time painting in Sewanee, TN and for a short time as interim head-master at the Columbia Female Institute.
