This panel of King David, with three other panels also decorated with figures of poets (Homer, Chaucer, and Dante), was made for windows in the breakfast room at Silsden, a house in Yorkshire built for textile manufacturer Charles Hastings. This was one of the first commissions given to Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., the firm that William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and others had co-founded in 1861 to revive the arts and crafts of the pre-Renaissance era (which would subsequently develop into the more successful Morris & Co in 1875). Burne-Jones designed the figures and Morris designed the daisy and forget-me-not plants for the rectangular quarries forming the background. Metropolitan Museum
Evidence that there was a Pre Raphaelite connection with the house is shown in the notice of sale of the house in the Leeds Mercury of March 6th 1888: Mr William Lawson, Auctioneer, Bradford Begs to announce that he has received instructions to sell by auction the residence of Mr Charles Hastings, Silsden House, Silsden.
Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. Minute Book: Feb 18th 1863 Agreed that the designs for Hastings' window be allotted as follows.- 2 windows in dining room, "Prison scene, Richard I" & "Henry V & his Queen crowned" to Marshall at 3£ each. 4 other lights (history of St George) in dining room to Rossetti at 5£ each a piece centre light of the 5 - light bay window of drawing room (genius of house) Rossetti's old design 4 other lights d o -- the calendar In 3 of light window of drawing room, "Sculpture" "Painting" & "Music" Four lights in break-fast room, single figures "David" "Homer" "Dante" "Chaucer" Each to be done by Morris for 1£ February 11th 1863 Hastings & Co owned the Firm £34- 17s- 0 Such a large commission in the early days of the Firm was something of a challenge particularly to Morris and it seems that he was unable to design the figures and passed the commission on to Burne-Jones and possibly William de Morgan. the three figures of Chaucer, Dante and David were executed by Burne-Jones and the style of Homer appears to correspond to that of William de Morgan. According to the Stained Glass museum at Ely, Cambridgeshire, the architect Norman Shaw designed the decor scheme at Silsden House, Keighley , West Yorkshire for Charles Hastings, a Bradford textile manufacturer. Norman Shaw was acquainted with Philip Webb through their short overlap in G E Street's office and Shaw, as an admirer of the Firm's work most likely facilitated this large commission of over 20 windows.