David and Goliath thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Europe 1600-1815, Room 6, The Lisa and Bernard Selz Gallery

David and Goliath

Relief
ca. 1675 - ca. 1692 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This ivory relief depicting David and Goliath is made by Francis van Bossuit in the Netherlands in c. 1675-92. The young beardless David is shown reclining, wearing loose drapery, which reveals his upper body and legs, holding a sword in his left hand, and resting his right arm on Goliath's head. The relief is illustrated in Matthew Pool's published engravings of van Bossuit's work, The Statue's or Art's Cabinet of 1727. Both the smooth carving of David's body, resembling wax, and the contrasting rough dappling of the background, are typical of the artist. Bosuit was one of the most accomplished ivory carvers of the late 17th century and the subtlety of this relief bears out his admirers' claim that he could carve ivory "as if it was wax". It was almost certainly carved in Amsterdam, where Bossuit moved late in his career, having spent many years in Italy.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDavid and Goliath (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Ivory relief
Brief description
Relief, ivory, David and the head of Goliath, by Francis van Bossuit, South Netherlands, ca. 1675-92
Physical description
The young beardless David is shown reclining, semi-draped, his left leg bent, his right leg extended, leaning against the bearded head of Goliath, and holding a sword in his left hand. Stylised clouds and grass are shown, and the rest of the background is punched, a distinctive detail of Bossuit's work.
Dimensions
  • Height: 10.3cm
  • Width: 18.6cm
  • Depth: 1cm
Gallery label
DAVID WITH THE HEAD OF GOLIATH Netherlandish, about 1670-1690 Ivory By Francois van Bossuit (1635-1692) Bossuit was one of the most accomplished ivory carvers of the late 17th century and the subtlety of this relief bears out his admirers’ claim that he could carve ivory “as if it were wax”. This relief was almost certainly carved in Amsterdam, where Bossuit moved late in his career, having spent many years in Italy. (1993 - 2011)
Object history
In the collection of Mary Dorothy Rittner, Herts, UK. Bought from her for £21,000 in 1989. From 1974-1989 the object was on loan to the museum from Miss Mary Dorothy Rittner.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This ivory relief depicting David and Goliath is made by Francis van Bossuit in the Netherlands in c. 1675-92. The young beardless David is shown reclining, wearing loose drapery, which reveals his upper body and legs, holding a sword in his left hand, and resting his right arm on Goliath's head. The relief is illustrated in Matthew Pool's published engravings of van Bossuit's work, The Statue's or Art's Cabinet of 1727. Both the smooth carving of David's body, resembling wax, and the contrasting rough dappling of the background, are typical of the artist. Bosuit was one of the most accomplished ivory carvers of the late 17th century and the subtlety of this relief bears out his admirers' claim that he could carve ivory "as if it was wax". It was almost certainly carved in Amsterdam, where Bossuit moved late in his career, having spent many years in Italy.
Bibliographic references
  • Theuerkauff, Christian, 'Zu Francis van Bossuit (1635-1692), ', in: Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch, XXXVII, 1975, p. 128, fig. 15
  • Williamson, Paul, "Acquisition of Sculpture at the Victoria & Albert Museum, 1986-1991", in: Burlington Magazine, Dec. 1991, p. 879
  • Theuerkauff, Christian, ed. Elfenbein, Sammlung Reiner Winkler, Vol II, 1994, p. 151
  • Baker, M., "Francis von Bossuit, Böttger Stoneware and the 'Judith' Reliefs", in: Kahsnitz, R. and Volk, P., eds, Skulptur in Süddeutschland 1400-1770: Festschrift für Alfred Schädler, Munich, 1998, p. 290, fig. 14, and p. 294
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, cat. no. 98
  • Brown, Christopher and Joyce Plesters, Art in 17th century Holland, London: the National Gallery, 1976.
Collection
Accession number
A.3-1989

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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