David
1924
Medium
bronze
Measurements
136.5 × 71.2 × 47.5 cm (overall)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1925
Gallery location
19th Century European Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Francis Derwent Wood’s experience serving in a hospital during the First World War profoundly affected his life and career. He subsequently developed a method of painstakingly sculpting and painting individualised portrait masks for disfigured soldiers, in an attempt to restore their self-confidence. Wood went on to create sculptures for various war-related monuments. This statue of the Old Testament figure David was designed for the Machine Gun Corps Memorial in London’s Hyde Park. Wood here linked the heroic David, who single-handedly slew the giant Goliath, to the role of the individual machine gunner who largely acted alone.
Artwork Details
Inscription
cast in right side on top of base l.c.l.: Derwent Wood (underlined) R.A. / 1924
Accession Number
1510A-3
Department
International Sculpture