Ornamental Design for Sword Scabbard Fitting: David with Sword Raised

This small, refined, and intricate drawing is the work of a talented but unidentified goldsmith. It was a design for a metal fitting—probably gilt silver—that decorated a scabbard. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, swords and daggers signaled a man’s station in life. The scabbards and sheaths that contained them were equally important, for they remained visible even when the blades were not. This study illustrates a passage from the biblical story of David and Goliath, after David’s slingshot has downed the giant. It shows David leaning on the oversized sword while bearing Goliath’s severed head on his hip. Four Israelite soldiers gather around him. Amid the elaborate strapwork that frames the narrative, delights such as fruit, flowers, putti, shells, an ornately coiffed woman, and a satyr lend a celebratory spirit to the gruesome scene. The smaller drawing shows David leaning on the oversized sword while bearing Goliath’s severed head on his hip. Four Israelite soldiers gather around him. Amid the elaborate strapwork that frames the narrative, delights such as fruit, flowers, putti, shells, an ornately coiffed woman, and a satyr lend a celebratory spirit to the gruesome scene.