“David with the Head of Goliath”
Today, one of Caravaggio’s most famous paintings.
“David with the Head of Goliath” is a dramatic oil on canvas painting by the Italian Baroque artist, Caravaggio. It was made either in 1606-1607 or 1609-1610, depending on the source.
This painting depicts the well-known Biblical story of David and Goliath. A Philistine warrior, Goliath, was said to be extremely tall and menacing. During a conflict between the Philistines and Israelites, Goliath asked the Israelites to settle the dispute in single combat with the champion of their choice against himself. After some time, the warrior that emerged to represent the Israelites was an unlikely hero, a shepherd boy named David (or Elhanan, as some biblical scholars think). Wielding only a sling with a handful of stones, David defeated Goliath by hitting him with a stone right in the middle of the forehead. Goliath fell to the ground and David cut off his head.
In his left hand, David holds up the severed head of Goliath by the hair. In his right hand is his sword. The defeated Philistine has blood dripping generously from his severed head. In the middle of Goliath’s forehead, the wound from David’s stone is still visible. David looks down at Goliath with a look of pity and disgust. It is not a glamorous or victorious triumph.
The head of Goliath is a self-portrait by Caravaggio. The model for David is the same model used for his other David paintings and is likely his apprentice. Caravaggio had a troubled life. He often fought with others and was repeatedly sued and jailed for his offenses. In 1606, he had to flee Rome after murdering a young aristocratic man. Caravaggio’s sentence was to be beheaded, so he fled Rome for Naples.
This moment from the Biblical story of David and Goliath is a theme that resonated with Caravaggio, as he painted it several times. In 1600, he painted “David and Goliath”, which is currently in the collections of the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, Spain. He made a second one in 1600 to 1601, also called “David with the Head of Goliath”, which is in the collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna in Austria. It is often regarded as the companion piece for the painting shown here, as in both pieces, David holds up Goliath’s head by the hair.
King David, as he would later be known, would reign over Judah and Israel. David’s story was written in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Historians tend to agree that he likely lived around 1,000 B.C.E. David was one of the favorite heroes in Italy during the Renaissance and was often depicted in art created at that time.
With the completely dark background and illuminated figures of David and Goliath, Caravaggio exhibits extreme chiaroscuro. This is a technique in which an artist displays strong contrasts between lights and darks to give the artwork a more three-dimensional visual effect. Caravaggio would work in his studio and set up candles until he achieved the desired light effect upon his models.
“David with the Head of Goliath” is currently on display at the Galleria Borghese in Rome, Italy.
For more on Caravaggio, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
