David with Goliath’s Head
around 1600/01 | Michelangelo Merisi, gen. Caravaggio
Condensing the biblical story of the David’s victorious struggle over the giant Philistine general Goliath, Caravaggio interprets it in a personal way: he shows a melancholy victor who seems to reflect both on himself and his victim. Despite the smooth surface (wood as a painting surface is unusual for Caravaggio), the stylistic proximity to “Madonna of the Rosary” and other works of Caravaggio from his Roman period can be seen.
Condensing the biblical story of the David’s victorious struggle over the giant Philistine general Goliath, Caravaggio interprets it in a personal way: he shows a melancholy victor who seems to reflect both on himself and his victim. Despite the smooth surface (wood as a painting surface is unusual for Caravaggio), the stylistic proximity to “Madonna of the Rosary” and other works of Caravaggio from his Roman period can be seen.
Artist:
Michelangelo Merisi, gen. Caravaggio (1571 Mailand - 1610 Porto Ercole) DNB
Time:
around 1600/01
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Caravaggio and Caravaggesque painting
Material/technology:
Poplar wood
Dimensions:
Overall: 91,2 cm × 116,2 cm × 2,5 cm
Framed: 113 cm × 138,5 cm × 9 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 125
Provenance
Coll. Conte Villamediana (d. 1622); Coll. King Charles I of England; Coll. Imstenraed, Amsterdam; came into imperial possession in 1667