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The Oath of the Horatii (1784). The Revolutionary context is unmistakable. The young sons of the Republic are asked to swear their fealty to La Patrie and sacrifice whatever they must. Note the relative feminine passivity in this conception of citizenship. |
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David's depiction of Napoleon crowning his wife (1806-1807). Note the grandeur of the ceremony, and the scale of both Napoleon and David's ambitions. Note, as well, the relative passivity of the pope, Pius VII (1800-1823), who stands in the background. |
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David's canvas rarely lacked symbolism, but this depiction of Leonidas' celebration at Thermopylae (1814) casts the victorious French armies in the role of the great historical actors of Greek antiquity. |
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Self-Portrait (1794), Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825). |