Uncovering the Original Fashion in Cagnacci's David and Goliath
David Holding Goliath’s Head – a highlight of Columbia Museum of Art’s collection – is one of three known variants of this subject by Guido Cagnacci, the other two being at the J. Paul Getty Museum and in a private collection. Its cleaning involved the removal of a delaminating synthetic varnish and a poor-quality historical alteration of the hat. The original red pillbox hat had been completely overpainted – likely in the mid-18th-century – and the style was updated with a jaunty point. The cleaning restored the richness and subtlety of Cagnacci’s original brushwork.
Subsequent to the treatment, the painting was loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where it was prominently displayed alongside their Cleopatra by Cagnacci (September 2017 to February 2018). It then traveled to the Cincinnati Art Museum for the exhibition Cagnacci: Painting Beauty and Death (March 2018 to July 2018).
In addition to the treatment, technical research was carried out to gain insight into Cagnacci’s studio practices in Venice, and how the different variants relate to each other. The painting was imaged using x-radiography and infrared reflectography. Paint analysis yielded intriguing findings about the use of ground glass and silicate minerals as vitreous pigments (for instance, to add luminosity to the red hat and impart richness to the background).
Guido Cagnacci, David Holding Goliath's Head, 1650, Columbia Museum of Art, K2092.
Detail of hat before (left) and after treatment (right).
Image credit: Shan Kuang
