David vainqueur de Goliath, Bronze sculpture in Jardin du Luxembourg, France

The sculpture depicts the biblical David in bronze and stands on a tall column beside a central basin within the Jardin du Luxembourg. The figure is finely detailed and gazes out over the garden grounds that stretch around the column.

The marble original is thought to be one of the oldest statues in the Jardin du Luxembourg, though no document identifies its sculptor. Some sources date it to the 1500s; the French Senate, which sits in the Palais du Luxembourg, holds that it was probably installed during the garden's 19th-century remodelling. In 1993 a bronze cast was made so the marble could be restored; the original was then placed inside the Palais and the cast set on the column.

The group shows a nude David holding a sword and the severed head of the larger Goliath, a bronze cast set on the column's square capital. The French Senate, which sits in the Palais du Luxembourg beside the gardens, attributes the work to the garden remodelling of the 1800s, though some sources place the original in the 1500s. No document names its sculptor.

The column stands in the green area beside the large basin of the formal garden, with the Palais du Luxembourg visible behind it. The gardens are free and open to the public; the statue is seen from the gravel paths circling the water, and the bronze group sits high above eye level, so step back for a full view.

The bronze on the column is a 1993 cast, not the original: the marble was taken down and moved inside the Palais du Luxembourg so weather would not damage it further. The figure itself measures only 1.5 metres, which shows how tall the column is. No document names the sculptor of the original.