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The Oath of the Horatii

Jacques Louis David French

ca. 1782

Not on view

From the time he received the royal commission in 1781 to the display of The Oath of the Horatii (Musée du Louvre, Paris) at the Salon of 1785, David made numerous studies, fine-tuning every detail of the painting that would cement his reputation as leader of the French school.

After considering different moments of the legend, he ended up devising a scene that does not figure in any of the literary sources that he might have consulted: the three Horatii brothers swearing an oath to their father before going to battle the Curiatii.

In this compositional study, we can see David’s early focus on the contrast between the rigid patriotism of the men and the swooning dread of the women.

The Oath of the Horatii, Jacques Louis David (French, Paris 1748–1825 Brussels), Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash, heightened with white, over
black chalk — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: The Oath of the Horatii

Artist: Jacques Louis David (French, Paris 1748–1825 Brussels)

Date: ca. 1782

Medium: Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash, heightened with white, over
black chalk

Dimensions: Sheet: 9 in. × 13 1/8 in. (22.9 × 33.3 cm)

Classification: Drawings

Credit Line: Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille (P. 1194)

Accession Number: DAVID.30

How Chalk Drawings are Made

How Chalk Drawings are Made

An illustrated explainer.

How Ink Drawings are Made

How Ink Drawings are Made

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The Met's collection of drawings and prints—one of the most comprehensive and distinguished of its kind in the world—began with a gift of 670 works from Cornelius Vanderbilt, a Museum trustee, in 1880.