Art History: The Battle Of David And Goliath Silver Plate

“The Battle of David and Goliath Silver Plate”
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Art 4024.: Course Description
October 25th 2017
The Battle of David and Goliath Silver Plate
The Battle of David and Goliath silver plates signify an important Christian historical event ever documented. The battle had religious significance because it regained Byzantine land which encompassed Jerusalem and other sacred Christian religious sites. This essay will evaluate and discuss The Battle of David and Goliath, the largest silver plate among the six that are preserved at Metropolitan Museum. This plate depicts different scenes captured from the early life of David. The collection is a cast, hammered, engraved, punched and chased piece of Byzantine artwork discovered in Karavas Cyprus in 1902. It is believed that the nine silver-plates, which are dated 629-630, were made in Constantinople. The essay will evaluate and discuss the iconographic context of the artwork. The analysis will encompass placement of the artwork within the appropriate historical context, general description of the artwork and formal analysis of the artwork’s form, composition, scale, materials, techniques and current condition. Lastly, the paper will compare the Battle of David and Goliath silver plate with other works of art, highlighting its significance and special qualities. Although the Battle of David and Goliath is considered a classical artwork due to its style, form and composition, the largest of the six silver plates reflects exceptional skilled silversmiths of Byzantine Empire. The collection of the nine silver plates has been separated with six of them at Metropolitan museum while the rest are preserved at the Cyprus Museum.
The Battle of David and Goliath is considered a Byzantine work of art that shows the influence of ancient Roman art. The nine piece collection was discovered in northern Cyprus in 1902. The silver plates had engraved images depicting scenes from the life of King David, while the largest of the 9 silver plates depicted his battle with the Philistine giant, Goliath. Dated 629-630, this plate is elegant, with low relief scenes depicting David’s early life. According to Norris, it is Emperor Heraclius who ordered the creation of the silver plates as evident from the control stamps that can be spotted at the back the plates. Similarly, other identical plates were collected in Antioch, depicting the same form and style.
Apparently Emperor Heraclius commissioned their creation to celebrate his victory over the Persians in a war that lasted from between 628 BC to 629 BC. Heraclius victory is linked to David’s battle with Goliath due to the fact that both involve men who fought single-handedly. Moreover, both men defeated and beheaded their arch enemies. It is notable that Heraclius’ victory over the Persians led to the recapture of the city of Jerusalem. During the warfare, Emperor Heraclius battled Razatis, the Persian general, in a single-handed fight. This incident is evoked in the portrayal of the biblical King David’s defeat of Goliath. In addition, the other smaller silver plates also have imperial imagery on them, in which ceremonial scenes from the life of King David are set before the arcade of a palace. The style of these silver plates is clearly that of classical art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art reported that the 9 silver plates might have been ordered for exhibition within the banquet hall of a particular member of the Byzantine nobility. 
The silver plate’s low relief, with its stunning style, reflects the classical traditions of the time. It is a classical depiction of the Byzantine Empire. The plate is divided into three different regions. The topmost region shows the Old Testament King David standing in front of water, and Goliath, in full combat gear. David is also depicted after removal of Saul’s armor, and the Halo is an illustration of his holiness. This halo appears on David in almost all the scenes in the battle against Goliath. The personification of water could be an illustration of the river from where David collected the three stones that he used against Goliath. David’s figure on the silver plate is a classical representation of male nudity, engraved with detail and naturalism. For instance, he is depicted sited with a water jug. This is a clear depiction of male nudity as exemplified in the classical traditions, especially with his youthful, muscled body adorned in a toga and crown fashioned from leaves covering his head.
On top of the engraved figures, the heavens are illustrated with a complete constellation of stars and the moon. In the same scene, God’s hand is depicted as stretching from heaven towards David. This is perhaps an illustration that David received divine guidance, power and strength in his battle with Goliath. In the middle of the silver plate, the climax of the conquest is illustrated in perhaps the largest figures. Towards the left, David is depicted without any armor, only with a sling shot and a stone. The artwork also shows movement of his cloth that could have been conscious reference to the Hellenistic drapery. Moreover, a halo is shown on David’s forehead, perhaps symbol of divine enablement. However, Goliath is depicted with a helmet and a heavy shield which can be linked to the Classical Roman battle armor. Goliath’s shield is ornamented with a radial design, depicted with fine details, decorated using engraving or punching process. A reflection of the classical traditions of the time is further illustrated in Goliath’s figure that depicts his muscles. These classical traditions can be traced back to the ancient Constantinople. Also in the image, four soldiers depict fine details of how naturalism was achieved through muscle modeling. The anxiety in the soldiers as they charge forward is reminiscent of the ancient classical modeling.
The bottom region resembles the top region as it depicts smaller figures. The bottom region shows the gruesome end of the battle where, finally, David triumphs and beheads his adversary. David’s sling shot and rocks are shown right at his back, while the worthless shield and spear is depicted behind Goliath. In this scene, the artist has creatively attempted to achieve naturalism by engraving the human figure in the silver plate. The artist might have chosen this style since it was common in his era for artists to combine traditional classic styles and non-classical subject. This artwork is a clear reflection of the art and classical tradition of the time which was achieved through form and fine decoration. The silver plate depicting the Battle of David and Goliath derives its central theme from the biblical Old Testament, even though its naturalistic style and particularly the use of personification suggests the plate’s link to the classical past. It was common practice among the medieval artists to employ ancient motifs in their artwork. This is evident in this artwork in spite of its Christian inference. The Byzantium time rulers largely emulated imperial imagery particularly from their Roman predecessors. This was purposely done to achieve continuity by linking the Classical past to the present time. Hence Classical history and legends were often times depicted through Classical artwork as a means of p...