Ornamental Design for Sword Scabbard Fitting: David with Goliath's Head

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 Goliath on his back, head toward us, shield still on his arm. David, astride Goliath’s empty scabbard, is on the verge of decapitating his foe with the giant’s own sword. In the background are legions of soldiers.