object
Harp
Psalmist king—stringed instrument held vertically or across lap.
Iconography & biography archive
Era: 10th century BC · United monarchy of IsraelFeast: December 29Category: Old Testament
Sources: 1–2 Samuel; Psalms; typology in medieval exegesis.
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Browse depictions8 works
Selected depiction
David (Michelangelo)
Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence
Old Testament
David
King David
Feast: December 29
Beginner difficulty
psalmist, adulterate king—appears as harpist youth or crowned penitent, prefiguring Christ’s royal messiahship.
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Iconographic Attributes
Symbols that identify this saint in sacred art
object
Harp
Psalmist king—stringed instrument held vertically or across lap.
object
Sword
Goliath’s sword or royal scepter-like blade in victory scenes.
object
Slingshot
Victory over Goliath
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Iconographic Field Guide
How to read David in paintings, sculpture, and altarpieces
Harp is the portrait attribute; sling and Goliath’s head belong to narrative battle scenes. Crown marks kingship in anointing panels. Do not confuse young David with Jonathan or with Orpheus mythological figures lacking Christian halo.
object
Sword
Goliath’s sword or royal scepter-like blade in victory scenes.
object
Slingshot
Victory over Goliath
Typical vesture
- —shepherd garb or royal robes
Color conventions
Artists often dress David in gold, white—these hues are not rigid rules but long-standing conventions that help recognition in polyptychs and chapel cycles.
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Visual Gallery
Selected depictions of David from verified sources
Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence
Marble sculpture
David (Michelangelo)
Michelangelo
Galleria Borghese, Rome
Oil on canvas
David with the Head of Goliath
Caravaggio
Galleria Borghese, Rome
Marble sculpture
David (Bernini)
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence
Bronze sculpture
David (bronze)
Donatello
Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence
Bronze sculpture
David
Andrea del Verrocchio
Wikimedia Commons
Painting
David (David and Goliath-Caravaggio (c.1610).jpg)
Wikimedia Commons
Painting
David (David holding the head of Goliath by Caravaggio (Rom)
Wikimedia Commons
Painting
David (David with the Head of Goliath-Caravaggio (c.1606-7))
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Biographical Archive
Life, witness, and historical framing
moral complexity (Bathsheba, Uriah) rarely appears in devotional art, which prefers the musician-king or the giant-slayer. Renaissance sculpture made his youth a civic symbol for Florence.
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Visual Recognition Guide
Clues ordered for museum identification
1.Slingshot or sword
Victory over Goliath
2.Head of Goliath
Narrative of the battle
3.Harp
Psalmist and musician
4.Crown (as king)
Royal status
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Patronage and Devotion
Why communities invoke this figure
musicianspoets
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Notes from the Archive
Scholarly curiosities and cult details
- ✝One of the most sculpted biblical heroes of the Renaissance
At a glance
- Feast
- December 29
- Category
- Old Testament
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Patron of
- musicianspoets
Life & legacy
David’s moral complexity (Bathsheba, Uriah) rarely appears in devotional art, which prefers the musician-king or the giant-slayer. Renaissance sculpture made his youth a civic symbol for Florence.
Curiosities
- One of the most sculpted biblical heroes of the Renaissance
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