David with the Head of Goliath,
oil on canvas, 110 x 96 cm, framed

Provenance:
European private collection

Stylistically, the present painting is related to works by Lionello Spada and Carlo Saraceni. David’s physiognomy also recalls the Head of a Boy at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, itself attributed to the anonymous ‘Master K’, also referred to as ‘Master of the Open-mouthed Boys’. This painter, who was active in Italy, received his name from Benedict Nicholson, who assigned to him a small number of Caravaggesque portraits and half-length figures that had previously been subsumed within a group by Bréjon de Lavergnée and Cuzin (see B. Nicholson, Caravaggism in Europe, Oxford, 1979, vol. I, p. 87, vol. II, figs. 777–781). The name alludes to the unmistakable facial expression the artist gave his young male and open-mouthed protagonists. Due to the Franco-Caravaggesque character of the present painting and similarities to works by Carlo Saraceni, who is known to have had French pupils, the painter of the present composition is generally considered to be a Frenchman of the second generation of Caravaggist painters active in Rome around 1615–30.

The present painting, which is executed in the tradition of Caravaggio, depicts the biblical episode of David’s successful fight against Goliath. The dark background directs the viewer’s complete attention to the figure of the youthful David, who, as a sign of his triumph, confidently holds Goliath’s head in his left hand in front of him. The painting is composed in such a way that the viewer is drawn into the scene. The scene’s realism and the delicate chiaroscuro enhance its authenticity and drama.