David
Pauline Bonaparte as Venus VictrixYoung Sick BacchusThe Rape of ProserpinaPauline Bonaparte as Venus VictrixAdoration of the Child (detail)DavidApollo and Daphne (detail)David with the Head of GoliathThe Council of the Gods (detail)The Rape of Proserpina (detail)Saint Jerome WritingApollo and Daphne with The Apotheosis of Romulus

DavidGian Lorenzo Bernini

356
This electrifying sculpture (1623–24) captures David mid-swing as he prepares to strike Goliath. Commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, it breaks from static Renaissance models by freezing a moment of intense motion and psychological resolve. Bernini’s vivid realism and spiraling pose typify the Baroque celebration of drama and energy.