Thomas Couture

Nineteenth-century politics informed this depiction of an ancient Roman orgy. The artist considered the image an allegory for institutional corruption and excess at a time when France was governed by former Napoleonic officers and members of the French elite. Couture painted a monumental version of the work in 1847, and it became one of the most influential images of the mid-1800s. That larger work spawned smaller versions (such as this one) made for French and American collectors.

Some young artists studied with established painters such as Couture instead of attending the government-sponsored Ecole des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts). Couture’s students embraced his idea that a painting should preserve the freshness of the initial sketch.