DISCOVERART

Jacques Louis David

Loveless Disarming Himself

after 1824
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
25.7 × 39.4 cm (10.1 × 15.5 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The satirical target of this unruly lithograph is Jacques-Louis David’s final history painting, Mars Disarmed by Venus and the Three Graces (1824; Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels). The god of war in David’s composition has been transformed into a weary French officer, the nubile goddesses into prostitutes pilfering his battle gear, and the classical, cloud-borne couch into a cheap brothel. As an additional insult, the sign at right offers “Bierre de Mars,” a spring brew rumored to inspire military volunteers.

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