|
Item Number: 124802
Title: The Victory of David over Goliath. The discovery of a Masterpiece by SEBASTIANO RICCI
Author: Baldassarri, Francesca
Price: Not Available
ISBN: 9788870385052
Description: Firenze: Centro Di, 2013. 31cm., pbk., 39pp., 25 illus., most in color. Exhibition held at Moretti Fine Art, New York. Summary: The Victory of David over Goliath is a rediscovered masterpiece by Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734), a leading protagonist of the Venetian Settecento, one of the greatest artistic Golden Ages of all time. David was the second king of Israel. A great warrior, musician and poet, he is described in the Bible as someone of complex character, capable of great cruelty and generosity, equipped with unscrupulous policies, while also recognising his own limits and errors. David’s life is particularly important in Judaism as the Messiah will occupy his throne and restore the kingdom. In Christianity, Joseph, the putative father of Jesus, is his descendent and in Islam, he is considered a prophet. The head of the giant Goliath, the most fearsome warrior of the Philistine army, is placed triumphantly in the foreground to the right of David, the shepherd-boy of Judah who had accepted and won the challenge made to the Jews by Goliath himself. For David, a staff, a sling and five smooth stones were all that was needed for him to defeat Goliath, who was almost three metres tall, clad in a bronze helmet and armour with an enormous sword. David approached the Philistine and, using his sling, he hurled the first stone, knocking out his adversary while the second stone smashed into the giant’s forehead, and he slumped to the ground. The third stone shattered Goliath’s skull and, with his enemy’s own sword David cut off his head. In this work, unpublished until now, the finely chiselled sword is placed diagonally to draw in the observer, emphasising the size of the object which proved useless against the intelligence, cunning, courage and faith of the young shepherd from Bethlehem.
We regret to inform you that this title is no longer available.
Please contact us if you need additional assistance.
P.O. Box 3904, Kingston, New York 12402 US
Phone: 845-331-8519
Fax: 845-331-0852
Email: michael@artbooks.com