History of the painting
Story of warfare between a young Rome and a neighboring city called Alba.
Rome, under King
Tullus Hostilius, was fighting for independence from its
mother city, Alba Longa. Rather than battle city against city, they decided that they would each choose three combatants to fight a battle and whoever won this battle won the war. On the Roman side, the Horatii brothers are chosen. In the painting, David depicts the moment when the father of the brothers is holding three swords while the brothers have their arms outstretched; taking an oath that they will fight to the death on behalf of Rome. The painting is composed so that the men occupy the left 2/3 of the frame while their female relatives are mourning on the right third of the frame. This pre-republican Roman story, at its core, is championing those who put their loyalty to the state before the loyalty to their family.