Hughston 1

Samantha Hughston

Ferdinanda Florence

Art History 2

18 February 2015

David with the Head of Goliath

This religious painting called David with the head of Goliath was made in

c. 1450/1455, Florence, Italy, by, Andrea del Castagno. It is currently located at

the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.1 It was painted with tempera paint

on leather on wood. The overall size of this piece is (width at top): 115 x 76.5 cm

(45 x 30 1/8 in.) overall (width at bottom): 115.5 x 40.6cm (45 x 16 in.).2

David with the Head of Goliath is one of a kind in early Italian Renaissance workmanship. It is

an uncommon, if by all account not the only case of a painted shield that can be credited to an

incredible expert, and it is outlined with a story scene instead of the average crest.3 Typically

shields would have been decorated with a coat of arms. It is presumed that this shield was used

for public celebration, whether sacred or secular in tone therefore, suggesting this painted shield

1 National Gallery of Art, (David with the Head of Goliath)

https://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg4/gg4-1145.html

2 National Gallery of Art, (David with the Head of Goliath)

https://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg4/gg4-1145.html4 National Gallery of Art, (David with

the Head of Goliath) https://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg4/gg4-1145.html

5
Dunlop, Anne. Parading David. Art History 35.4 (2012): 682-701. Academic Search

Complete. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.

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was intended for public audiences.4 The trapezoid shape allowed the artist to capitalize on the

shape as a symbol for bravery and freedom while also utilizing the biblical story of David and

Goliath to connect to the viewers.

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Works Cited

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