Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

David by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

David is a life-size marble statue made by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1623 and 1624. Measuring 170 cm, it displays his technical virtuosity and is now part of the collection of his main patron, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, on view at the Galleria Borghese. The sculpture shows the future King David at the instant before he throws the stone with a sling at Goliath. Unlike earlier, more serene versions of the subject, Bernini emphasizes emotion, tension, and physical movement, using a twisting, serpentine pose and a concentrated expression. The work reflects key qualities of Baroque sculpture and the Catholic Baroque context.

David marble statue in a gilded gallery, shown in a dynamic twisting pose with sling and draped cloth.
David displayed in the Galleria Borghese, captured in a dramatic twisting pose.
June 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bernini\'s David marble statue shown in a gallery interior, holding a sling and looking to the side.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini\'s David displayed in an ornate gallery setting.
October 2017 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bernini\'s David sculpture showing a marble figure gripping a sling and looking sharply to the right.
Bernini’s David in a dimly lit interior, captured with the figure poised and gripping his sling.
March 2024 © Burkhard Mücke · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bernini\'s David, a muscular marble statue in a twisting pose with a sling held ready in his hand.
Bernini’s David shown in a dynamic mid-action pose.
© Bernini and Pannini · Public domain
Bernini\'s David marble statue in a dynamic twisting pose, holding a sling and standing on an ornate base.
Bernini\'s David shown in a sepia-toned photograph of the marble sculpture.
© Rijksmuseum · CC0

Identification

TitleDavid
TypeMarble sculpture

Historical context

Date of creation1623–1624

Creator

Artist nationalityItalian
StyleBaroque
Age of artist at creation24 years old
ArtistGian Lorenzo Bernini

Discovery and provenance

Current locationGalleria Borghese, Rome
Early noticeNoted and analyzed by Filippo Baldinucci after completion
Source for completion timeFilippo Baldinucci
Time to completeSeven months
Later installed atGround floor of Cardinal Scipione Borghese's villa near Porta Pinciana
Original intended locationVilla Montalto garden
Commission contextOne of four sculptural groups Bernini made for Cardinal Scipione Borghese's villa
Later patron / commissionerCardinal Scipione Caffarelli-Borghese
Commissioned byCardinal Alessandro Peretti de Montalto
Collection historyAfter Cardinal Peretti's death in 1623, the unfinished sculpture passed to Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who had it completed and installed in his villa

Physical characteristics

SizeLife-size
Height170 cm

Materials

MaterialMarble

Technique

TechniqueExecuted with great technical virtuosity

Appearance

CharacterizationA very human young man rather than an idealized perfect warrior
DraperyEmphasizes the statue's dynamics
ClothingShepherd's clothing
Side viewReveals instability from the tension of loading the sling
Front viewAppears almost frozen, suspended at the moment of aiming
Multiple viewpointsDesigned to be seen from multiple viewpoints, each revealing the movement differently
ExpressionConcentrated and frowning, with the lower lip bitten or tense with effort
AnatomyShows deep knowledge of anatomy in action
Body tensionThe figure is tense, with movement and power implied
MovementStrong serpentine, helical movement
PoseStanding with both feet on the ground and the body half-turned
Action depictedDavid is preparing to tense the sling and hurl the stone at Goliath
Depicted momentThe instant before David throws the stone at Goliath
Depicted subjectThe biblical David, future king of Judah and Israel

Iconography and meaning

Baroque significanceCapturing the instant and helical movement are characteristic of the Baroque
Political / cultural interpretationAssociated with combat and the fire of the Counter-Reformation
Religious contextChristian subject that also revives the classical theme of young Greek athletes, the kouroi
Objects behind figureDiscarded weapons behind David suggest the battle is won through physical effort rather than superior armament
Meaning of the discarded armorDavid was not accustomed to armor and intended to fight without it
Meaning of the harpAttribute of David the Psalmist and sign that he will become a poet
Objects at feetSaul's armor and a harp
WeaponSling
Iconographic sourceThe First Book of Samuel
ThemeBiblical David and his victory over Goliath

Comparison

Comparison with Michelangelo's DavidBernini emphasizes emotion and dynamism rather than classical and Renaissance placidity; Michelangelo shows David before the fight in a calm, focused state of inner tension
Comparison with Donatello's DavidDonatello's David is a victorious nude youth standing confidently
Comparison with Verrocchio's DavidVerrocchio's David is a frail but arrogant boy, dressed in slightly classicizing clothing
Comparison with Bernini's earlier worksUnlike Bernini's earlier works, the sculpture does not have the same vertical emphasis
Comparison with Apollo and DaphneUnlike Apollo and Daphne, it represents a man rather than a much younger, more delicate model

Significance

Artistic innovationInnovative for its implied movement and psychological intensity
Style classificationCatholic Baroque

Other

Anecdotal self-portrait claimAccording to period anecdotes and Bernini's son Domenico, the face of David was based on Bernini's own features, apparently studied in a mirror held by Maffeo Barberini