The Death of Marat (detail focusing on the letter)
Painting on canvas • Jacques-Louis David
Style & Movement
Neoclassicism
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas, utilizing neoclassicist precision, smooth blending, and tenebrism
Creation Period
1793
Dimensions & Format
Landscape format detail (original work approx. 165 cm x 128 cm)
Subject Description
A close-up detail of the iconic painting The Death of Marat showing the blood-stained petition held in the murdered revolutionary's hand, reading 'Du 13. juillet, 1793... Marie anne Charlotte Corday au citoyen Marat... il suffit que je sois bien malheureuse pour avoir Droit a votre bienveillance'
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Not applicable to original artwork based solely on this newsprint reproduction, but the original resides in museum collections in very good conserved condition
Estimated Market Value
Incalculable/Museum property (Masterpiece of Western art)
Auction Estimate
Not applicable; institutional masterpiece not subject to private sale
Provenance History
Exhibited as revolutionary propaganda, retained by the National Convention, passed through various French state collections, and currently housed in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels
Art Historical Significance
One of the definitive political paintings of the French Revolution, elevating the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat into a secular martyrdom with immense historical and propaganda value
Notable Features
Features the historically charged text written by Charlotte Corday used as the pretext to gain entry into Marat's bath before assassinating him
Condition Issues
None visible in this newsprint reproduction
Conservation Recommendations
Standard museum environmental controls (temperature and humidity regulation, UV filtering) applicable to the original oil painting