David Victorious over Goliath (1722): Art, History and Details

David Victorious over Goliath (1722) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Giovanni Battista Foggini (Italian, 1652–1725).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This terracotta model was used to cast part of a series of bronzes on religious subjects. Foggini depicted David humbly, a compelling contrast to the more traditional Florentine approach of David as a proud victor. The subject of David was especially important because he had long symbolized Florence: the city was often able to overcome its larger rivals, much like David defeated the giant Goliath.

Object facts

• Title: David Victorious over Goliath
• Date: 1722
• Creator attribution: Giovanni Battista Foggini (Italian, 1652–1725)
• Culture: Italy, Florence
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: terracotta
• Dimensions: Overall: 41.3 x 47.6 x 31.5 cm (16 1/4 x 18 3/4 x 12 3/8 in.)
• Collection: Sculpture
• Department: European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 1966.126

A detail from the museum

David was a popular figure in Florentine art and often embodied civic liberty.

Collection credit

Gift of Harold T. Clark in memory of Mrs. William B. Sanders

Further reading listed by the museum

• Calafati, Marco, Giovan Battista Foggini, and Palazzo Medici Riccardi. Giovan Battista Foggini : Architetto E Scultore Granducale. Edited by Riccardo Spinelli. Firenze: Edifir edizioni Firenze, 2025.
• Lankheit, Klaus. Die Modellsammlung der Porzellanmanufaktur Doccia : ein Dokument italienischer Barockplastik. München: Bruckmann, 1982.
• Nota de quadri e opere di scultura desono esposti per la Fiesta de San Luca dagli accademici del Disegno nella loro capella posta nel Chriostro del Monastero de PP. della SS Nonziata de Firenze. Florence: Piero Matini, 1724.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.