Figure du vieil Horace, étude pour Le Serment des Horaces (aluminium panels)

A painter of the 18th century, Jacques-Louis David began his studies at the Academy of Saint-Luc in Paris, before training as a painter with Joseph-Marie Vien. This encounter marked the beginning of his interest in French neoclassicism, of which Vien was the forerunner. His painting talents were already acknowledged when he won second prize in the Prix de Rome for Minerva Fighting Marsin 1771, but it was the Oath of the Horatii (1784) above all that gave him his fame. Fascinated by Napoleon Bonaparte, the artist produced The Coronation of Napoleon (1805-1807), Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1805) and Napoleon in his Study (1812). He became an official painter of the Empire, before exiling himself in Brussels.