TANZIO DA VARALLO
(b. ca. 1580, Riale d’Alagna, d. ca. 1632, Varallo)

David with the Head of Goliath

1624-26
Oil on canvas, 120 x 90 cm
Pinacoteca, Varallo

The young biblical hero is portrayed in this painting just after beheading the giant Goliath, as with his right hand he brandishes the sword and forcefully clutches his rival's head by the hair. Dressed in the humble clothing and fur of a shepherd, he has tied the weapons of his duel around his waist: a net containing rock and a rope slingshot.

This painting shows the painter's ability to combine Caravaggesque naturalism and the expressive intensity of painters in Milan.