David with the head of Goliath

This ivory relief is made in the Netherlands by an unknown artist from the circle of Francis van Bossuit in ca. 1690-1700. It is the pendent relief to a relief representing Judith with the Head of Holofernes.The composition is taken, apparently, in reverse and with variations, from a picture by Domenico Fetti (1589-1624) of which there are versions at Dresden, Hampton Court, and elsewhere. In the Dresden picture the head of David is turned towards the spectator and there are differences in the dress. The picture by Fetti was perhaps used as a source through the medium of an engraving, as yet untraced. Francis van Bossuit carved a number of reliefs of this subject, which often form male pendants to those of Judith with the Head of Holofernes.