Orazio Gentileschi
(Pisa 1563 – London 1639)
David with the Head of Goliath
Oil on canvas, 173x142cm
This is one of the greatest masterpieces of 17th century Italian painting and one of the artist’s greatest achievements. Attributed to Caravaggio until the late 19th century, it was probably painted between 1611 and 1616 by the great Tuscan painter Orazio Gentileschi. His monumental David, inspired by the principles of classical sculpture and set in a lush landscape, is a meditation on the power of faith triumphing over the power of evil.
The work entered the collection in the 17th century through marriage: the distinguished noblewoman Maria Veralli married Orazio Spada in 1636 and brought him this work as a dowry, along with the two paintings belonging to Orazio Gentileschi’s young daughter, the painter Artemisia.
