The Revolution (1789-1799)

The States General, assembled at Versailles from 9th July 1789 onwards, abolished absolute monarchy and the feudal system. They adopted The Declaration of the Rights of Man and established a constitution in France, now "one and indivisible." The war with neighbouring countries, supported by both Louis XVI, no longer King of France, but King of the French people, and the majority of the members of the legislative Assembly, hastened the fall of the monarchy and the proclamation of the Republic. The excessive violence of the revolutionary and counter-revolutionary factions, together with the economic crisis and the rising power of the army contributed to Napoléon Bonaparte's successful coup d'état in 1799.

Some painters, like Jean-Germain Drouais , used this troubled period as a pretext for glorifying the heroes of an exemplary Antiquity. Others, like Boilly and David, chose to depict contemporary events and would soon rally to the Empire. Hennequin became involved with the most intransigent of revolutionary groups, while Gros was quick to champion the Bonapartist epic.