3-035-577 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

David with the Head of Goliath, about 1645-1650. Additional Info: The Old Testament tells of the shepherd boy, David, who felled a seemingly invincible adversary, Goliath, by slinging a stone that struck the giant on the forehead. The Biblical hero then used Goliath's own sword to cut off his head. Here, Cagnacci depicts David after the victory, when he made his triumphal return to Jerusalem, carrying the severed head of the Philistine. In the wake of the bloody battle he has changed into sumptuous clothes, as described in 1 Samuel 18.4: "And Jonathan stripped himself of the coat with which he was clothed, and gave it to David, and the rest of his garments."