The Death of Marat Still Image

Jean-Paul Marat lies dead in his bathtub, a letter in hand and quill fallen, his wound visible as he slumps peacefully; a wooden crate beside him reads "À Marat, David."

Dublin Core

Title

The Death of Marat

Description

This famous depiction of Marat’s assassination (1793) is by the unofficial (and sometimes official) artist of the French Revolution, Jacques–Louis David, a leading exponent of the neoclassical style. Scholars have seen this vision as a revolutionary pietà because of the repose of the corpse, so different from that of a normal body in a stage of rigor mortis. David also planned Marat’s funeral on behalf of the government.

Source

Musée d'art ancien of Brussels, Belgium, no. 3261.

Date

1793-07-14

Relation

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/632/

Identifier

632

Citation

“The Death of Marat,” LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY: EXPLORING THE FRENCH REVOUTION, accessed November 9, 2026, https://revolution.chnm.org/d/632.