This silver plate depicts the biblical battle between David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17), with the story progressing from top to bottom. The top register shows David confront the Philistine champion. Between them sits a personification of the river that provides David stones for his sling. God’s hand reaches down from the heavens, representing his protection over David, who also appears with a halo. In the middle register, the battle appears, from which David and the Israelites emerge victorious. After hitting Goliath in the forehead with a stone from his sling, David beheads the giant—with Goliath’s own sword—in the […]
