David with the Head of Goliath

I’m not real big on baroque painting in general but Caravaggio was exceptional in his chiaroscuro story telling technique. His painting of the young David with the head of Goliath is at the Villa Borghese Gallery in Rome and of all the pieces there was the one I kept coming back to. This digital sketch crops the original dimensions down a bit.

Much has been written about this piece with speculation about whether the model for David is based on Caravaggios young assistant or perhaps on the young Caravaggio himself. For the severed head of Goliath he used his own likeness.

The same room where this is displayed has 4 other paintings by Caravaggio and in another location there is an incredible sculpture of David readying to launch his slingshot, carved in marble by Bernini.