The Tennis Court Oath at Versailles by Jacques–Louis David

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/files/original/72404386efd41d53c641eabea8633d91.jpg

Title

The Tennis Court Oath at Versailles by Jacques–Louis David

Description

This amazingly rich sketch by Jacques–Louis David is one of the most famous works from the French revolutionary era. The thrust of the bodies together and toward the center stand for unity. The spectators, including children at the top right, all join the spectators. Even the clergy, so villified later, join in the scene. Only one person, possibly Marat, in the upper left–hand corner, turns his back on the celebration. And, in fact, David is commemorating a great moment of the Revolution on 20 June 1789, in which the deputies, mainly those of the Third Estate, now proclaiming that they represent the nation, stand together against a threatened dispersal.

Creator

Jaques Louis-David

Source

Musée national du Château de Versailles et de Trianon, 83EE530 - 500991

Date

1791

Rights

@Photo RMN - Gérard Blot

Relation

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/633/

Format

JPEG

Language

French

Identifier

633

Original Format

Print

Physical Dimensions

101.2 × 66 cm

Title (French)

Le Serment du Jeu de paume

Citation

Jaques Louis-David, “The Tennis Court Oath at Versailles by Jacques–Louis David,” LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY: EXPLORING THE FRENCH REVOUTION, accessed March 19, 2024, https://revolution.chnm.org/d/633.