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Secondary sourcePainting1787

The Death of Socrates

Jacques-Louis David · 1787

A famous 1787 painting imagining the moment of Socrates' execution, surrounded by his grieving followers.

A later artistic depiction of Socrates' execution, showing how his death became a symbol of philosophical virtue.

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Painting of a dim stone prison cell. Socrates sits on a bed, gesturing upward with one raised finger, surrounded by seated and standing men in robes, one of whom is raising a hand. A man in grey sits at left, and a man in red stands near the chains on the floor. A cup is visible.
Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Socrates, 1787. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting was made in 1787 by the French artist Jacques-Louis David. It shows Socrates in a prison cell at the moment of his death, surrounded by companions. It is held today at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The painting was made nearly two thousand years after Socrates lived, based on ancient accounts of his trial and death. It became a landmark of neoclassical art and was used to teach ideals of virtue and courage during the Enlightenment, showing how Socrates' story was reused to inspire people in a very different era.

Look closer

  • What does Socrates' raised finger suggest he might be doing or saying?
  • Why do you think the artist chose to show the men around Socrates reacting with such emotion?
  • Since David never met Socrates, what choices did he have to make up or imagine?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Socrates on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Apology

Plato · c. 395 BC

Line engraving in a multi-line border showing a bust of a bearded man with curly hair and a furrowed brow, on a plinth. The label below reads SOCRATE. Lower right reads Landon direx.Painting

Secondary source

Line Engraving of Socrates by Landon

Charles Paul Landon

Cover of a 1925 Italian paperback, Platone, Dialoghi III, Critone, tan cardboard with red double border. Handwritten inscription at top, red handwritten marking near bottom. Publisher Vallecchi Editore Firenze.Book

Secondary source

Crito

Plato · c. 400 BC

Engraving of a bearded, balding bust of Socrates in an arched niche, set on a stone pedestal. Inscription below reads 'SOCRATES SOPHRONISCI FILIUS ATHENIESIS', with credits 'P.P. Rubens delin.' and 'P. Pontius sculpsit, 1638'.Painting

Secondary source

Socrates Engraving after Rubens by Pontius

Peter Paul Rubens · 1638

Black-and-white photograph of a white marble bust of a bearded man, shown from the front and slightly turned, with deep-set eyes, a curly beard and hair, against a dark background. The image is a glass lantern slide with labels reading Socrate and Université de Louvain.Photograph

Secondary source

Roman Marble Bust of Socrates

between 1839 and 1939

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