La Mort de Tatius
Jacques Réattu
c. 1788
Oil on Canvas
Public domain image, Wikipedia Commons.
As discussed in A Plutarch Picture Study: The Life of Romulus, Jacques Réattu painted La Mort de Tatius as an entry to the Prix de Rome competition in 1788, which he did not win.
Below you can see the paintings that won 1st and 2nd place in the Prix de Rome competition in 1788. All paintings submitted for the competition that year had to depict the same theme from Plutarch: the death of Tatius.
1st place Prix de Rome competition, 1788.
Public domain image, Wikipedia Commons.
2nd place Prix de Rome competition, 1788.
Public domain image, Wikipedia Commons.
The Prix de Rome
The history of the Prix de Rome dates back to 1666, when the prize was created in France by King Louis XIV, who believed that promising French artists should be able to study works from classical antiquity, the cradle of European art, with their own eyes. The prize consisted of a [scholarship] that enabled the winner to work in Rome for four years. Talented student artists were given the opportunity to study classical art for four consecutive years in Paris and Rome. When the study period in Paris was completed successfully, the trainees were allowed to undertake the long journey to Rome to continue their work under the supervision of the Académie de France in Villa Medici.
- Prix de Rome website
However, in 1790, Jacques Réattu did win the Prix de Rome competition with the painting below, The Justification of Suzanne.
Public domain image, Wikipedia Commons.