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The Oath of the Horatii
Jacques-Louis David · Rococo & Neoclassicism
- Artist
- Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825)
- Date
- 1784
- Dimensions
- 330 x 425 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
The Oath of the Horatii depicts a legend from early Roman history: three brothers of the Horatii family swear to their father that they will fight to the death against three champions of the rival city of Alba Longa. It became the manifesto of Neoclassical painting.
A closer look
The composition is as clear and severe as a stage set: three arches frame three groups. On the left, the brothers stand rigid as statues, arms stretched towards the swords their father raises in the centre. On the right, the women of the family collapse in grief, for one of them is engaged to one of the enemy champions. The contrast between the hard, straight lines of the men and the soft curves of the women expresses the conflict between duty to the state and private feeling.
History of the painting
The painting was commissioned for the French crown by the Comte d'Angiviller, director of the king's buildings, as part of a programme to encourage morally uplifting history painting. David went to Rome to paint it and deliberately made it larger than the size he had been asked for. When it was shown at the Salon of 1785 it caused a sensation and was bought for the royal collection; after the Revolution it became one of the founding works of the Louvre's French paintings.
