2-726-942 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

David Victorious over Goliath, 1722. This terracotta model was cast in bronze as part of a series of sculptures commissioned by Anna Maria Luisa de Medici (1667-1743). Having been the Medici court sculptor since 1687, Foggini played a central role in this venture, which involved eight different sculptors and became one of the most significant sculptural projects of 18th-century Florence. The subject of David was especially important because he had long symbolized Florence: the city was often able to overcome its larger rivals, much like David overcame the giant Goliath. Consequently, this subject had an immense artistic legacy in Florence. Distinctively, Foggini chose to depict David much more humbly than the proud victor motif common to most Florentine representations of the hero.