Image of the restoration process of the David with the Head of Goliath by Caravaggio.
Madrid, Museo del Prado: »David with the Head of Goliath« restored
Caravaggio successfully restored
One of four paintings by the famous Caravaggio in the Museo del Prado can now be seen again after restoration. New details came to light during the work.
December 19, 2023
The painting David with the Head of Goliath, an example of Caravaggio's outstanding originality, was restored with the support of the Fundación Iberdrola España, which sponsors the Museo del Prado's restoration program. In the process, oxidized and opaque layers of varnish were removed from the surface to restore the work's color palette and contrasts. This process, carried out by Almudena Sánchez, a conservator at the Museo del Prado, has allowed the original values of the work to be restored and elements of the composition to be revealed. For example, the light surrounding the head of the young David and the foreshortened body of Goliath, which had previously been obscured by the opacity of the varnish, were revealed.
The painting can now be seen as part of the new installation in Halls 7 and 7A. David García Cueto, head of the department for Italian and French painting up to 1800, has created a panoramic vision of the phenomenon of Caravaggism. It is one of four paintings by the famous painter that can be found in the Prado in Madrid. A total of three paintings of David with the Head of Goliath by Caravaggio are known. They are in the Galleria Borghese in Rome and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The version from the Prado is the oldest of the three paintings.
The painting before and after restauration:
David with the Head of Goliath (before restoration) Caravaggio Oil on canvas, 110,4 x 91,3 cm Ca. 1600 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado
David with the Head of Goliath (after restoration) Caravaggio Oil on canvas, 110,4 x 91,3 cm Ca. 1600 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado
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