The Departure of Marcus Attilius Regulus for Carthage
Jacques Louis David
1775–1786
- Medium
- Pen and black ink and brush and black ink wash and opaque white watercolor with black chalk and touches of brown watercolor on blue laid paper
- Dimensions
- Sight: 31 × 40.9 cm (12 1/4 × 16 1/8 in.)
- Genre
- pen and ink drawings
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
drawings (visual works)black chalkchalkchalk sticksinkpen and ink drawingswashopaque white pigmentwhite pigmentprints and drawinginorganic materialcolorantlead whitecoating (material)pigmentpaper (fiber product)
About
In David’s powerful study, the defeated Roman general Marcus Atilius Regulus, refusing the entreaties of his wife, insists on being sent back to Carthage to be executed. The relief-like drawing, seemingly carved from stone, boldly combines a sober setting and technique (black ink, white wash) with extreme theatricality, like a scene performed onstage.
