Why it matters
Unlike Michelangelo's calm hero, Bernini's David twists his whole body as he is about to sling the stone at Goliath, frowning and biting his lower lip. The sculpture broke new ground with its implied movement and psychological intensity.
Did you know?
- Bernini completed it in about eight months in 1623–1624.
- He interrupted work on Apollo and Daphne to make it.
- According to his biographers, Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, the future Pope Urban VIII, held up a mirror so Bernini could model David's face on his own.
- It was Scipione Borghese's last commission for Bernini.
Based on the Wikipedia article David (Bernini) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
