David and Goliath from the David Plates
of the Second Cyprus Treasure
Click to enlarge image
Constantinople, 628-30
Silver
Diam. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, N.Y. (17.190.396)
This plate is one of nine embossed with scenes from the life of the Biblical king David.
The circular surface is divided into three registers, each of which corresponds to a different episode in the Biblical account. At the top, between the towers of two walled cities, Goliath curses an unarmed David. The seated figure between them, borrowed from classical antiquity, personifies the stream
from which David gathered his stones. God's hand extends from heaven in protection of David.
In the central register David raises his left arm to ward off Goliath's armed advance while readying his slingshot in his right hand. The Israelite and Philistine soldiers stand behind their leaders.
The bottom register shows David decapitating Goliath with a large sword. His slingshot and stones visually counterbalance Goliath's powerful shield and arms. In all three registers, David wears a halo, an attribute of his holiness.
The figures realistic musculature, body movements, and drapery patterns as well as the clarity and balance of the composition offer proof of the continuity of Greco-Roman traditions in Byzantine art.
Each plate is made from a single piece of chased silver. Their extremely fine quality points to production in the palace workshops of Constantinople, which had a monopoly on the manufacture of certain luxury goods.
Classroom Hints:
Notice: material, composition, poses
Discuss: function, use of scale, personification, the narrative
Compare: Icon of Saint Demetrios
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