Why it matters
David holds up the bleeding head of Goliath, not in triumph but with an expression 'mingling sadness and compassion'. The severed head is a self-portrait of Caravaggio himself.
Did you know?
- The sword bears the letters H-AS OS, read as 'humility kills pride'.
- The model for David may have been his studio assistant Cecco del Caravaggio.
- Cardinal Scipione Borghese owned it by 1650.
- It is dated between 1605 and 1610.
Based on the Wikipedia article David with the Head of Goliath (Caravaggio, Rome) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
