As Picasso reached the latter part of his life, he looked for inspiration in the work of past masters, such as Cranach, Rembrandt and Goya, seeking to align himself with these great artists and once again, to create work which was fresh and innovative. From the late 1940s to early 1960s he made studies in various media of particular works.

Picasso's dealer at the time, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, sent him a catalogue from a 1937 exhibition in Berlin which included the painting of David and Bathsheba by Lucas Cranach the Elder, depicting the biblical story of King David spying on Bathsheba as she bathes. The catalogue was in black and white and Picasso decided that a black and white lithograph would produce a more graphic image.

His admiration for Cranach was such that he respected the original composition, with the king on a balcony watching Bathsheba and her ladies gathered around a pool. The figures are in 16th century attire and only Bathsheba's bare ankles are visible, this modesty highlighting her innocence. For his depiction of the king, who will dishonour Bathsheba, Picasso drew a disproportionately large head and harp, creating a sense of menace and alluding to his evil intentions.

The work was created by applying a pen and ink wash to a zinc plate and using a scraper tool to reveal the figures. This is the first of ten states, which gives a faithful rendering of the subject as imagined by Cranach, with richly inked areas bringing the figures to life. In the subsequent reworking of the plate, the image becomes darker and more abstract.