David (Bernini)

Bernini's David, carved in 1623 and 1624 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese and still in the Galleria Borghese. Set it beside Michelangelo's calm, watchful David and the change from Renaissance to Baroque is plain: Bernini catches the instant before the stone leaves the sling, body coiled and face clenched with effort. The face is said to be Bernini's own. Saul's discarded breastplate and David's lyre lie at his feet, and the statue was meant to be seen from where Goliath would stand, so you become the target.