Le Serment des Voraces

1814

Not on view

This hand-colored print is a spoof of Jacques Louis David's famous painting, The Oath of the Horatii of 1784 (Musée du Louvre, Paris). The print was made in 1814, and is considered a parody of Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, duke de Parme (1753-1824), who had served under Napoleon and was one of the authors of the Napoleonic Code. Following the Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, he spent two years in exile in Brussels.

The word "Voraces" (gluttonous) in the title is a play on the word "Horaces" meaning Horatii. Instead of swords, the central figure holds aloft forks and a bottle of wine.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Le Serment des Voraces
Artist: Anonymous, French, 19th century
Artist: After Jacques Louis David (French, Paris 1748–1825 Brussels)
Publisher: Aaron Martinet (French, 1762–1841)
Date: 1814
Medium: Hand-colored etching
Dimensions: Sheet: 12 3/16 × 15 5/8 in. (31 × 39.7 cm)
Plate: 11 7/16 × 15 1/16 in. (29 × 38.3 cm)
Image: 7 7/8 × 12 5/8 in. (20 × 32 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Monroe Warshaw, 2022
Object Number: 2022.367
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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