 |
| David and Goliath From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1300-1325 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 160, fol. 135r |
David spoke to Saul:
“Let your majesty not lose courage.
I am at your service to go and fight this Philistine.”
But Saul answered David,
“You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him,
for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth.”
David continued:
“The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear,
will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine.”
Saul answered David, “Go! the LORD will be with you.”
Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi
and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag.
With his sling also ready to hand, he approached the Philistine.
With his shield bearer marching before him,
the Philistine also advanced closer and closer to David.
When he had sized David up,
and seen that he was youthful, and ruddy, and handsome in appearance,
the Philistine held David in contempt.
The Philistine said to David,
“Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?”
Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods
and said to him, “Come here to me,
and I will leave your flesh for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field.”
David answered him:
“You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar,
but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted.
Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand;
I will strike you down and cut off your head.
This very day I will leave your corpse
and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field;
thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God.
All this multitude, too,
shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves.
For the battle is the LORD’s and he shall deliver you into our hands.”
The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters,
while David ran quickly toward the battle line
in the direction of the Philistine.
David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone,
hurled it with the sling,
and struck the Philistine on the forehead.
The stone embedded itself in his brow,
and he fell prostrate on the ground.
Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone;
he struck the Philistine mortally, and did it without a sword.
Then David ran and stood over him;
with the Philistine’s own sword which he drew from its sheath
he dispatched him and cut off his head.
I am at your service to go and fight this Philistine.”
But Saul answered David,
“You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him,
for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth.”
David continued:
“The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear,
will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine.”
Saul answered David, “Go! the LORD will be with you.”
Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi
and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag.
With his sling also ready to hand, he approached the Philistine.
With his shield bearer marching before him,
the Philistine also advanced closer and closer to David.
When he had sized David up,
and seen that he was youthful, and ruddy, and handsome in appearance,
the Philistine held David in contempt.
The Philistine said to David,
“Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?”
Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods
and said to him, “Come here to me,
and I will leave your flesh for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field.”
David answered him:
“You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar,
but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted.
Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand;
I will strike you down and cut off your head.
This very day I will leave your corpse
and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field;
thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God.
All this multitude, too,
shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves.
For the battle is the LORD’s and he shall deliver you into our hands.”
The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters,
while David ran quickly toward the battle line
in the direction of the Philistine.
David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone,
hurled it with the sling,
and struck the Philistine on the forehead.
The stone embedded itself in his brow,
and he fell prostrate on the ground.
Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone;
he struck the Philistine mortally, and did it without a sword.
Then David ran and stood over him;
with the Philistine’s own sword which he drew from its sheath
he dispatched him and cut off his head.
1 Samuel 17: 32-33, 37, 40-51 (Gospel Reading for January
20, 2016)
Images of David have a long history in Christian art, and
indeed even in Jewish art in the early Christian period. They have continued to show many aspects of
his story.
We see him as:
David the young shepherd boy, chosen by Samuel as the
successor to the dishonored King Saul;
 |
| David Anointed by Samuel Syrian, c. 244-245 Dura Europos, Syria, Synagogue |
David the King, musician and Psalmist, husband, sinner, father and ancestor of Jesus:
Kings saw David as a pattern of Christian kingship, so many of the images are of David as king, often combined with his role as musician and psalmist.
 |
| David as King and Musician from Bible of Charles the Bald known as the Vivien Bible French (Tours), c. 845-851 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1, fol. 215v |
 |
| Master of the Roman de Fauvel and Workshop From Bible historiale of Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1320-1330 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 8, fol. 212 |
 |
| Pseudo-Jacquemart, David Playing the Bells From Psalter of Jean de Berry French (Bourges), ca.1386 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 13091, fol. 153 Here David has put down his harp and instead plays a series of bells. He is also sometimes shown playing a medieval organ. |
David in his relationship to his wife, Michal;
 |
David is saved by Mikal From Bible historiale by Guiard des moulins French (Paris), 1375-1400 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 164, fol. 106 |
 | |
|
David in relation to Saul;
 |
| David and Saul From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c.1400 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 3, fol. 266v |
David the sinner, coveting Bathsheba and conniving to murder Uriah, her
husband;
 |
David Watching Bathsheba From a Book of Hours French, 15th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Nouvelle acquistion latine 183, fol. 95 |
 |
David Giving Uriah a Letter for Joab From Fleur des histoires by Jean Mansel French, 1475-1500 Paris,Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 55, fol. 62 |
David the repentant sinner, chastised by Nathan the prophet;
 |
| David Admonished by Nathan and Penitent David From Psalter with Commentary Constantinople, ca. 950 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Grec 139, fol. 136v |
 | |
|
David as the father of Absolom who betrayed him and Solomon who followed him as king
 |
| Death of Absolom From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), 14th-15th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 159, fol. 133 |
 |
| Master of the Roman de Fauvel and Collaborators, David and Salomon From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), 1320-1330 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 8, fol. 148v |
and
David, son of Jesse, as an ancestor of Jesus.
 |
| Master of Simon of St. Albans and Collaborators, Jesse Tree From Capucin Bible French (Champagne),1170-1180 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 16746, fol. 7v |
David and Goliath
But the majority of images I will discuss in this post are those that show him in his battle with the giant Philistine, Goliath, or in the aftermath of the battle. These images begin fairly early. One of the earliest images is actually a series of images chased into silver plates in seventh century Constantinople and currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which show many scenes from the life of David.
 |
| Silver Plate with Battle of David and Goliath Constantinople, 629-630 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
With the recovery of Western Europe following the cultural losses due to the barbarian invasions, beginning in the ninth century the number of images of David begins to skyrocket. But the event that sealed David forever as the special favorite of God, his defeat of Goliath with a simple slingshot, was always the most prevalent image. We can find it in wall paintings, but most especially in manuscript painting, in all regions of the Christian world.
 |
| Battle of David and Goliath From Psalter with Commentary Constantinople, ca. 950 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Grec 139, fol. 4v |
 |
Catalan Romanesque Painter, Battle of David and Goliath Catalan, c.1123 Barcelona, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya |
 |
| Story of David Page from the Winchester Bible English (Winchester), 1160-1180 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 619-v |
 |
| Battle of David and Goliath From the Psalter of St. Louis and Blanche de Castille French (Paris), ca. 1225 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Arsenal 1186, fol. 77 |
 |
| Master Honore and Collaborators, Anointing of David and Battle of David and Goliath From Breviary of Philippe le Bel French (Paris), 1290-1295 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1023, fol. 7v |
 |
| Masster of the Roman de Fauvel, Battle of David and Goliath From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), 1300-1325 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 156, fol. 146 |
 |
| Battle of David and Goliath From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), ca. 1400 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France, MS Francais 3, fol. 124v |
 |
| Andrea del Castagno, Youthful David Italian, ca. 1450 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
Early and Medieval images of David and Goliath are dominated
by images of action, in which David and Goliath face off, Goliath is hit and
David severs his head.
With the advent of the Renaissance in Italy, we also begin to find a somewhat different theme both in painting and in sculpture and it is in sculpture that the most memorable series of images of David were accomplished. Picking up a theme already established in painting, that of the young David with the severed head of Goliath, and beginning with the work of Donatello we begin to see a newly distinct way of imagining the youthful shepherd boy.
 |
| Taddeo Gaddi, David with the Head of Goliath Italian, c.1330 Florence, Church of Santa Croce, Cappella Baroncelli |
 |
| Donatello, David Italian, 1409 Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello |
The image is
of the contemplative David, thoughtful and somewhat remote from action, either
not yet in motion or pondering the effect his action has had on his enemy.1 These are the Davids of Donatello,
Rossellino, Verocchio and, of course, of the great David of Michelangelo.
 |
| Donatello, David Italian, c. 1430-1440s Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello |
 | |
|
 |
| Andrea del Verrocchio, David Italian, c. 1473-1475 Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello |
 |
| Michelangelo, David Italian, 1504 Florence, Galleria dell'Accademia |
These images set the pace for many of their followers and dominated the sculptural image from then on.
There were occasional reversions to the older, active image, culminating in the powerful, very active David of the young Gianlorenzo Bernini.
 |
| Michelangelo, David and Goliath Italian, 1509 Vatican City State, Capella Sistina This is one of several images of David that Michelangelo included among the Ancestors of Christ in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This image appears in one of the spandrels of the curved ceiling, which accounts for the odd shape. |
 |
| Titian, David and Goliath Italian, c. 1542-1544 Venice, Church of Santa Maria della Salute |
 |
Daniele da Volterra, David Overcoming Goliath Italian, c. 1550-1555 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
 |
| Gianlorenzo Bernini, David Italian, c. 1623-1624 Rome, Galleria Borghese |
Bernini always aimed to engage the viewer in the sense of reality
created by his works and he certainly does so in the David.
But in the long run it was the contemplative image that
remained the dominant one. The seventeenth century saw a steady procession of paintings depicting handsome, mostly semi-nude
young men contemplating the severed head of their adversary.
 |
Guido Reni, David with the Head of Goliath Italian, c. 1604-1606 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
 |
| Caravaggio, David with the Head of Goliath Italian, c. 1609-1610 Rome, Galleria Borghese |
 |
| Orazio Gentileschi, David with the Head of Goliath Italian, ca.1610 Rome, Galleria Spada |
 |
| Domenico Fetti, David with the Head of Goliath Italian, ca. 1620 Hampton Court Palace, Royal Collections Trust |
 |
| Valentin de Boulogne, David with the Head of Goliath Accompanied by Two Soldiers French, c. 1620-1622 Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza |
 |
| Nicolas Poussin, Triumph of David French, ca.1630 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
 |
| Pier Francesco Mola, David with the Head of Goliath Italian, 1660-1663 Private Collection |
Only the Dutch seem to have been able to resist this trend.
 |
| Rembrandt, David Presenting the Head of Goliath to King Saul Dutch, 1627 Basel, Kunstmuseum |
 |
| Jacob van Oost the Elder, David with the Head of Goliath Dutch, 1643 St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
But the Donatello inspired image proved to be too strong, going on well into the nineteenth century.
 |
| Giovanni Marchiori, David with the Head of Goliath Italian, 1744 Venice, Church of San Rocco |
 |
| Antonin Mercie, David with the Head of Goliath French, 1872 Paris, Musée d'Orsay |
A great deal of ink has been spilled
over the identity of these beautiful young men. Are they to be construed as depicting David’s simplicity, are they homoerotic
in nature or is their beauty to be construed as a sign of God’s favor? Any and all of these theories have been
proposed along with differing dates for the famous Donatello bronze that started
the trend.2 Recent argument has tended
to attempt to view them in the context of their times and has come to the
conclusion that much has been made of little. Whatever the truth of the matter many of the
world's museums have a David to show, though since the 15th century
Goliath has been present largely as a mere trophy.
© M. Duffy, 2016
1. Andrew Butterfield, “New Evidence for the Iconography of David in Quattrocento Florence”, I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance, Vol. 6 (1995), pp. 115-133.
2. Robert Williams, "Virtus Perficitur": On the Meaning of Donatello’s Bronze "David", Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz, 53. Bd., H. 2/3 (2009), pp. 217- 228.
