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Unique quality material

Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: light brown solid beech wood, handmade

Print on painter's canvas
Size: 60 x 40 cm (23.6 x 15.7 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine-grain painter's canvas
Frame: light brown beech wood and wood pulp, handmade

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The artwork

This painting, intended for the collection of Scipione Borghese, was first attributed to Battistello Caracciolo by Filippo Todini in 1981.

Previously, Longhi had proposed other attributions, first to Orazio Borgianni and then to an anonymous artist of the Caravaggesque period. However, the discovery in the Borghese Archive of a document mentioning payment for the frame of the “David, made by Battistello” in 1612 confirmed the attribution of the work to the Neapolitan artist and provided a definite date for its execution.

Art critics have highlighted the similarities between Battistello Caracciolo’s work and Guido Reni’s painting of the same subject, known in several versions. It is thought that Caracciolo may have seen Reni’s painting at first hand, as it may have been part of Camillo Borghese’s collection while the Neapolitan artist was working on his version of the theme.

The technique Caracciolo used in the painting is typical of the Caravaggesque period, with a dark ground for the background and shadows, followed by additions of light colour for the figures, similar to Caravaggio’s approach in his late Roman period.

In the painting, the figure of David stands out on the right, portrayed slightly larger than life and seen in three-quarter view. The scene is plunged into darkness, with a strong beam of light from the left illuminating both the figure of David and the severed head of Goliath, creating a theatrical effect that emphasises the young hero’s victory.