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Cima da Conegliano, David und Jonatan – David and Jonathan

Cima da Conegliano (Giovanni Battista Cima), Conegliano ca. 1459 - 1517/18

David und Jonatan – David and Jonathan (?), ca. 1505

National Gallery, London

 

Two young men stroll through the Italian countryside, one of them – rather startlingly – carrying a giant head. He is David and the head is from his defeated enemy, Goliath. The other man is probably David’s friend Jonathan, son of Saul, King of the Israelites.

 

We are not really sure who or what this small painting was made for. David’s story was very popular at the time: it was an exciting tale and he was understood as a forerunner and ancestor of Christ. But David and Jonathan together is a rare subject.

 

The rolling sunlit countryside dotted with medieval towns and villages is characteristic of Cima da Conegliano, who has used various tricks to create an illusion of spatial depth. The road and the river converge, leading our eyes towards a single vanishing point. This is combined with aerial perspective, where objects become more indistinct with distance and far off hills appear blue, even though we know they are green.

 

Source: National Gallery, London

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Uploaded on December 5, 2020
Taken on May 29, 2012