Triumph of David

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A landscape with a large group of figures in classical dress in the foreground. A man on horseback wears a red robe and approaches the scene from the left side of the canvas. Two babies fly above, carrying a crown towards the man's head.

Attributed To Francesco de Mura (Italian, 1696–1782)

After Artist Francesco Solimena (Italian, 1657–1747)

Title Triumph of David

Date Ca. 1750

Medium Oil on canvas

Dimensions Framed (Measurements taken during examination of reverse, 5/31/2005.): 45 7/8 x 55 3/8 in. (116.5 x 140.7 cm)
Overall: 40 1/4 x 49 3/4 in. (102.2 x 126.4 cm)

Credit Line Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Rauch, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 85.65

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About this Work

The Israelite shepherd boy David has just slain the Philistines’ greatest warrior, Goliath, a giant described as “six cubits and a span tall,” or almost ten feet (I Samuel 17:4). As David triumphantly returns from the field of battle, with Goliath’s head in tow, “the women of all the towns of Israel [come] out singing and dancing…with timbrels, shouting, and sistrums” (I Samuel 18:6). Francesco de Mura, a student of the famed Neapolitan painter Francesco Solimena, may have painted this dramatic composition, which is closely modeled on a similar work that Solimena produced for King Philip V of Spain.

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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Triumph of David | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=85.65