David with the Head of Goliath
c. 1610 · Oil on canvas · Galleria Borghese, Rome
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About this work
- Artist
- Caravaggio (1571–1610)
- Year
- c. 1610
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 125 × 101 cm
- Collection
- Galleria Borghese, Rome
- Movement
- Baroque
A young David holds out the severed head of Goliath at arm's length and looks at it with pity rather than triumph; the giant's face, mouth open and one eye dimmed, is Caravaggio's own. He painted it in Naples around 1610, the last year of his life, while under a death sentence for a killing in Rome, and sent it to Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the papal nephew who could obtain his pardon, so that the artist's head is offered to the one man who could save it. The sword bears an abbreviated inscription usually read as humility conquers pride. The light falls from the upper left on David's chest and arm and the rest is swallowed in darkness. It has been in the Borghese collection in Rome since the painter's death.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A boy holding out a severed head against total darkness, in flesh tones, white linen and black, a sombre painting for a study, library or hallway at 24×36 in black. Charcoal, deep brown or dark green walls suit the chiaroscuro; pair it with Narcissus.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Baroque painting
- Era
- 17th century (c. 1610)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is David with the Head of Goliath in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was David with the Head of Goliath painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
