Simon Vouet, David the Head of Goliath, 1620-1622 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Simon Vouet, David the Head of Goliath, 1620-1622"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

In 1 Samuel 17:31-54, we are told how the giant Goliath was defeated by David. Goliath stood between the two armies to challenge the Israelite army to a duel between him and an Israelite champion, rather than a major battle between the two armies (in which there would be heavy losses on both sides). If Goliath defeated the Israelite champion in a duel, the Israelites would have to surrender and vice versa. For 40 days in a row, Goliath thus mocked the Israelite army, for no one dared to go up against him.

However, on the fortieth day, David, a shepherd boy, went up against him in the name of YHWH, armed only with a sling. He struck Goliath with a stone to the forehead. Then David beheaded Goliath with his own sword. He brought the head to Jerusalem, the weapons to his tent. A few years later the sword was kept in a sanctuary, for then fugitive David took Goliath's sword from Nob's sanctuary, because he could not dispose of his own sword.

Simon Vouet (Paris, 9 January 1590 - there, 30 June 1649) was a French painter. He is considered to belong to the style period of the Baroque. He went to Venice and then to Rome, where he was strongly influenced by the Caravaggisme. In 1627, Louis XIII and Cardinal de Richelieu brought Vouet back to France, where he became a court painter. His paintings, often on religious or mythical themes, are notable for their well-balanced compositions.