the Death of Marat (or Marat assassinated ) is a table of Jacques-Louis David paints in 1793. It is preserved at the royal Musées of the Art schools from Belgium in Brussels.

One sees there Jean-Paul Marat, revolutionary French assassinated at his place on July 13rd by Charlotte Corday. The inscription With Marat, David that one finds on the wood box, whose form suggests a tomb stone, indicates that it is about a homage to Marat which the painter knew personally, and whom he had seen, will say he, the day before his death, such as he represented it (in this bath-tub where he looked after his skin disease).

History of work

Following the advertisement with the Convention of died of Marat on July 14th, 1793, David, summoned by the Guirault deputy to do for Marat what it had done for Lepelletier de Saint-Fargeau, namely, the immortaliser by its brushes, rétorque that it will do it. November 14th, 1793, it offers to Convention the portrait of Marat, consequently exposed with this other table of David (disappeared today): the Death of Lepelletier de Saint-Fargeau . In 1794, after the fall of Robespierre, the table causes a disaffection which echoes the disgrace of the painter. In February 1795, the principle of restitution of two works to the painter is acquired: it will recover them later a few months, to preserve them safe from any glance until its death. At the beginning of 1826, following the death of David on December 29th, 1825, the portrait of Marat enters in the possession of the heirs to the painter who organize several exposures in the intention to sell it, but without success. Jules David, last owner of the table, bequeaths it to the museum of Brussels in 1886. He is hung there since 1893. Several copies of the table (remained visible today) will be carried out, at end of propaganda, in the workshop of David, 1793 to 1794, in particular by Serangeli and Gerard.

Description

The table is an oil on fabric of 165 out of 128 centimetres. Being detached from a bottom brown-green, the body of the conventional Jean Paul Marat is represented failing. The wrapped head of a white turban is leaning on the side. Its hanging right hand, holds a feather, the left arm rests on the edge of a board covered with a green fabric, the hand holds a written sheet. The body is supported against the bath-tub which a soiled white cloth of the blood of the victim recovers, with its feet a knife with stained white handle of blood is. On the right is placed a wood block on which is posed an inkpot, a second feather, and another sheet of paper. With the bottom of the block, work is signed: With MARAT DAVID the YEAR TWO.

historical context

Marat, which one called at the time " the friend of the peuple" was assassinated on July 13rd, 1793 and this crime was regarded by the revolutionists as an attack against the new Constitution. Convention will order from David this fabric at the highly political bottom. Marat was a figure of the revolutionary radicalism represented by the Mountain dwellers, then opposed to Of Gironde (whose Charlotte Corday was a sympathizer). Charlotte Corday, the meutrière of Marat, is nauseated by revolutionary terrorism and she sees enemies of the Revolution everywhere. Secretly, it will go to Paris to assassinate the inspirer of this policy. David will be moved by this crime highly symbolic system. He thus will carry out this painting of kind to make of Marat a martyrdom of freedom. David will give this precise direction to his table: " The true patriot must seize with greed all the means of lighting his fellow-citizens and of unceasingly presenting in their eyes his features sublimes of heroism and vertus" (he said while speaking about Marat).

Anecdotes

The letter of Charlotte Corday belonged to the collection of autographs of Lord Egerton, in 1815 it lived in Paris the hotel of Noailles.

One will be able to compare this table with the version that Paul Baudry in 1860 gives of it.

The film Danton (A. Wajda, 1982), with in the role titrates Gerard Depardieu, watch a scene located in the workshop of David during whom one sees a pupil furtively varnishing the portrait of Marat.

Note

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