Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743–1794) and Marie Anne Lavoisier (Marie Anne Pierrette Paulze, 1758–1836)1788
The chemist Antoine Lavoisier sits at a table covered in red velvet, pen in hand and surrounded by scientific instruments, as he turns to look up at his wife, Marie Anne, who leans on his shoulder. More about this work
About this work
The chemist Antoine Lavoisier sits at a table covered in red velvet, pen in hand and surrounded by scientific instruments, as he turns to look up at his wife, Marie Anne, who leans on his shoulder. She was his partner in research, translating scientific texts, keeping laboratory records and drawing the illustrations for his treatise on chemistry, and the portfolio at the left alludes to her own training in drawing, which she studied with David. Painted in 1788, the portrait celebrates a modern partnership of minds; six years later Lavoisier, who had been a tax collector under the old regime, was guillotined during the Revolution.
Written by Ochre Editions.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Jacques-Louis David
French, 1748–1825 · Born in Paris; died in Brussels.
David was the leading painter of French Neoclassicism. After winning the Prix de Rome he studied antiquity in Italy, and in the 1780s produced severe, moralising history paintings such as The Oath of the Horatii and The Death of Socrates. During the Revolution he was a deputy who voted for the king’s execution and painted The Death of Marat; he later became first painter to Napoleon. After the Bourbon restoration he lived in exile in Brussels, where he died.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1977.10
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Paintings
- Department
- European Paintings
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
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