Why it matters
David shows the condemned philosopher calmly reaching for the cup of hemlock while still teaching, surrounded by grieving pupils. Based on Plato's Phaedo, it became a model of Neoclassical painting: a lesson in facing death with reason and composure.
Did you know?
- The young man handing over the cup cannot bear to look.
- Plato sits slumped at the foot of the bed.
- Socrates' wife Xanthippe is seen leaving on the stairs in the background.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Death of Socrates (CC BY-SA 4.0).
