Self-portrait in Saint-Lazare Prison

Like many artists who had worked for royal and aristocratic patrons during the ancien régime, Robert was imprisoned during the Terror. Here, he depicts himself, easily recognizable by his dark eyebrows and receding hairline, in his cell at the Saint-Lazare prison.

Reclining atop a table, he reads an unbound book by the light of an open window. His correspondence and inkwell sit on his desk. Even behind bars, Robert asserts his identity as an artist. The large drawing or engraving tacked to the wall is related to one of his best-known paintings, the portfolio of drawings leaning against the table is inscribed, "Robert a St Lazare," and his name, in all upper-case letters, appears again at left as if it were chiseled into the wall, evocative of an ancient Roman monument.

As a plea for the importance of art during times of threat, the drawing takes on a universal resonance.