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This composition recalls the celebrated precedent by Caravaggio. It uses Caravaggio's canvas in the Borghese Gallery as its starting-point: the young Biblical hero is shown half-length, holding the enormous sword (almost a sabre) with which he had severed the head of the giant Goliath, which he holds up in his left hand, grasping it by the hair. Vermiglio has aimed for a restrained level of drama, putting the accent on decorum. Attention is given to the descriptive details of the sling and the decorated pommel and handguard of the sword that crosses the foreground.
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