The Death of Socrates

In the pictureOn a bed in front of the stone walls of a prison, an old man in white sits pointing to the sky with one hand while reaching for the cup of poison with the other. The man handing him the cup cannot bear to look and covers his face. The disciples around him weep or collapse against the wall. At the foot of the bed an old man sits quietly with his back turned. Through the door on the left, the family can be seen leaving.

BackgroundIt was shown at the Paris Salon in 1787, two years before the French Revolution. It depicts Socrates, sentenced to death for impiety and for corrupting the young, drinking the hemlock, a scene recorded in Plato's Phaedo. The old man at the end of the bed is Plato, though in reality he was young at the time and was not present. David chose the message of a man dying for truth over historical fact. It is a textbook example of Neoclassicism.

Puzzle tipThe twelve figures each wear a different color, which provides many clues. Fix Socrates in white at the center and the man in red holding the cup first, then widen out to the left and right. Leave the gray stone wall pieces for last. The joints between the stones of the wall show the vertical position. This picture suits 300 pieces well.