The Tennis Court Oath

Jacque Louis David

PAINTING

About the Artist

• Jacque Louis David (1748-1825)• Dominated revolutionary art as a painter• Broke with traditional styles at the time and

favoured classical Greek and Roman work.• Serious minded, abhorred frivolity • When he painted the oath it was still permissible

to have divergent views of the revolution. • Admired Robespierre (member of Jacobin club)• Was arrested twice during the revolution, but

released eventually becoming a painter in the court of Bonaparte

To date …

• Third estate has refused to discuss anything as a separate group.

• Final appeal is sent to the other two orders to join the Commons. If not the Commons would begin deliberations without them.

• The Third estate begins its roll call and members of the clergy begin to trickle over.

• The Third Estate vote to call itself the National Assembly (491 to 89).

To date …• The Assembly was claiming sovereignty. The

King decided to call a Royal Session to assert his authority.

• On Saturday Jun 20 the Assembly arrive to find the rooms to their meeting place locked and guarded by soldiers. The deputies moved to a nearby indoor Tennis Court to continue their meeting.

• The deputies take an oath to not to separate until they had changed the way France was governed.

3 clergy men (Catholic and protestant) embracing - fraternity

Bailly – with one arm raised

Mirabeau – head thrown back in exaltation

Robespierre in a Rousseuan gesture of sincerity and virtue.

Martin d’Auch refused to take the oath

Abbe Sieyes is seated pen in hand, perhaps suggesting the significance of his pamphlet of 1789

Parisian crowd – at present they are patriotic

the wind blowing away the autocratic Old Regime

Bolt of lightening – destruction of the Old Regime

Could also be suggesting that liberty is natural and therefore an irresistible force

Class Notes• 20 June 1789 deputies of the newly formed National

Assembly arrive at their meeting place to find it locked.

• A Séance Royal has been called (23 June). • The assembly moves to a nearby indoor tennis court • Under leadership of Bailly they swore to remain until

the nation was given a constitution. Only one man dissented.

• The Tennis Court Oath was an assertion that the sovereignty of the people did not reside with the King.

• This event was immortalized by the revolutionary painter Jacques Louis David.

Revolutionary Ideas in the Painting

• FRATERNITY: The thrust of bodies together symbolises unity.

• LIBERTY: Three clerics embracing each other = religious tolerance, moving curtains displaying the wind of freedom blowing in.

• EQUALITY: Crowd viewing the events from the window, Sieyés with his poised pen is reference to influential pamphlet ‘What is the Third Estate?’

• CHANGE: Lightening bolt striking the palace = destruction of Old Regime

Problems of Representing the Past

• Artist can manipulate symbols he chooses to use and create his own historical interpretation of an event.

• This in itself can tell us a great deal about the values and ideals of the revolution.

• Always keep in mind the influences of the artist.

• David has emphasised particular leaders.• Painting as piece of propaganda.