Oath of the Horatii is a large painting completed in 1784 and 1785 by the French artist Jacques Louis David, depicting three brothers of the Roman Horatii family swearing an oath to their father before combat. Painted in the Neoclassical style, it draws its subject from Roman legend and stages the moment of resolve rather than the battle itself. The painting was an immediate success with critics and the public and now hangs in the Louvre in Paris.
Facts
Year CreatedPainted 1784 to 1785; year-created records the start year. Commissioned ByCharles-Claude Flahaut de la Billaderie, assistant to King Louis XVI 1 Connections
Sources
1. Oath of the Horatii (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead section
Oath of the Horatii (French: Le Serment des Horaces) is a large painting by the French artist Jacques-Louis David painted in 1784 and 1785 and now on display in the Louvre in Paris.
Commissioning the work section
The king's assistant, Charles-Claude Flahaut de la Billaderie, commissioned Oath of the Horatii with the intention that it be an allegory about loyalty to the state and therefore to the king.
Genre reference
Oath of the Horatii is a large painting completed in 1784 and 1785 by the French artist Jacques Louis David, depicting three brothers of the Roman Horatii family swearing an oath to their father before combat.
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