The Young David (detail)

Verrocchio’s David stands, calm and relaxed, over the massive head of Goliath. As a goldsmith and silversmith, Verrocchio used an assemblage technique, a method favoured in the 14th century. The silver Beheading of St John the Baptist contains many separately cast elements; the kneeling saint, his executioners and the soldiers. He also used the same process for his larger-scale statues, casting different parts of free-standing statues and reliefs separately. The David was cast in two sections: the figure of the hero and the severed head of Goliath; the figures were extensively chiselled after casting.