The Death of Socrates

Colors in this work

Artist: Jacques Louis David
Date: 1787
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 51 x 77 1/4 in. (129.5 x 196.2 cm)
Department: European Paintings
Holding institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Palette: Charred Umber · Black family · #211B14 · 56%

Press Black · Black family · #16130B · 10%

Raw Walnut · Brown family · #60492D · 9%

Sooted Timber · Brown family · #453521 · 8%

Bitumen Shadow · Black family · #362B1F · 5%

Olive Ground · Yellow family · #8A734C · 4%

Sooted Timber · Brown family · #411E10 · 2%

Charred Umber · Black family · #291813 · 2%

Burnt Umber Ground · Brown family · #5D2613 · 1%

Press Black · Black family · #161813 · <1%

Burnt Umber Ground · Brown family · #72341D · <1%

Slate Night · Black family · #1C2726 · <1%

Charred Umber · Black family · #2B1A18 · <1%

Lampblack · Black family · #0F0801 · <1%

Midnight Indigo · Black family · #161B1F · <1%

Lampblack · Black family · #070300 · <1%

Vine Charcoal · Gray family · #43493A · <1%

Laurel Cloth · Green family · #626C59 · <1%

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Image provider: metropolitan-museum-of-art
License: CC0-1.0
Credit: Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1931

11 tags

Narrative Both · 99%

The title identifies a depicted event, and the image shows a coordinated scene with a central protagonist, surrounding figures, gestures, and implied action.
Human Figure Both · 99%

Socrates and men are listed among the catalog subjects, and the image prominently depicts a central human figure surrounded by numerous others.
Classical Figure Visual · 90%

The figures wear draped garments and are arranged in a staged ancient-looking interior with emphatic, sculptural poses and gestures.
Mortality Both · 96%

The title establishes a scene of death, while the somber setting, the cup extended toward the central figure, and the surrounding gestures of distress visually support mortality and impending loss.
Interiors Both · 94%

The image depicts a confined built interior, and the architectural chamber is central to the scene’s setting.

Neoclassicism Interpretive · 95%

The disciplined linear arrangement, sculptural figures, clear contours, antique subject, and moralized historical narrative strongly support a Neoclassical reading.

Balance Visual · 92%

The composition is organized by the horizontal bed, vertical architectural divisions, and intersecting gestures, producing a stable but emotionally charged arrangement.

Oil Painting Metadata · 100%

The Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogs the work as a painting in oil on canvas by Jacques Louis David.
Chiaroscuro Visual · 90%

Pale bodies and drapery are sharply distinguished from the predominantly shadowed stone chamber, creating pronounced light-dark contrast.

18th Century Art Metadata · 100%

The catalog dates the work to 1787, placing it within the eighteenth century.

French Art Metadata · 99%

The catalog identifies Jacques Louis David as French, with Paris and Brussels given in the artist display.

Jacques Louis David. The Death of Socrates. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.