This drawing dated 1785 is an early work by Gérard, which he created while he was in Brenet's workshop. The anecdote reporting his determination to create a composition of The Plague at the age of fourteen confirms that he already possessed virtuosity in drawing. Further proof of this precocious talent, in September 1785 he won a third medal at the Academy's neighborhood prize, with a figure of a man with a shield.

It was therefore the same year that he produced this scene representing Hercules probably writing his exploits on a shield in front of an audience of female characters. A magnificently crafted work, the attention to detail that Gérard brings to the details is breathtaking, the work done on the drapes and the hair demonstrates the qualities of an accomplished designer.

François Gérard,

Man holding a shield with his left arm, 1785

Black stone, faded, on white paper

60,1 x 45,6 cm

Paris School of Fine Arts

© Cat'zArts

In the background, the two women leaning over a book could perhaps be the muses Clio (history) and Polymnia (rhetoric). Although each cannot be clearly identified, the attributes indicate that these figures function in all cases as allegories referring to the arts. The subject would then be a known mythological theme, that of Hercules musagète, or Hercules protector of the muses and by extension of the arts. The epithet “musagète” is generally attached to the figures of Apollo and Hercules; in Rome a temple is dedicated jointly to the hero and the muses. This idea of Hercules leading the muses finds an echo in the action accomplished by him who writes on a shield. However, this image arises from a very widespread Roman mythological motif, that of Victory writing on a shield. Appearing on Trajan's Column, this figure will be widely used, particularly during the Italian Renaissance. The scene could then be read as Hercules listing his exploits while the muses take note of them in order to sing them and engrave them in posterity. This action probably takes place in front of a statue of Nike the Victory or Tychaeus the Fortune. The figure being cut, it is not possible to know if it is winged, however the palm that it holds in the hand refers to the figure of Fortune, Glory, or Victory. The scene is overlooked by several sometimes enigmatic figures. The figure on the right who rises on a quadriga could be Apollo or Helios driving the chariot of the Sun, but the presence of the muses seems to reinforce Apollo's thesis.

Victory written on a shield,

113 of. J.-C.

Plaster molded after bas-relief, 110 x 2.5 cm

Trajan's Column,

Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun, The Genius of Alexander I,

1814

Oil on canvas,

110 x 84.5 cm

Hermitage Museum

© 2006, SCALA, Florence / ART RESOURCE, NY

Regarding the helmeted figure wearing a tunic, it is possible to put forward the idea that it is a woman even if the features are not very discernible. The presence of the helmet coupled with the feminine gender then argues for Athena. Just below a winged male figure seems to spread something over the assembly of muses. The most plausible hypothesis as to its identification is that of the figure of the Genius, the Roman Genius, a sort of winged divine double associated with each man and representing his immortal part. The study of his iconography reveals that he is often associated with glory, as demonstrated by the work of Vigée-Lebrun, in which the genius of Alexander I notes the exploits of the general on a shield. The character of the genius therefore functions in its classic representation in connection with glory, victory and the action of materially engraving one's prowess, which perfectly echoes Gérard's drawing and reinforces our identification. The pair of characters on the right, each riding a horse, correspond to the Dioscuri, recognizable by their attribute the star, which recalls their astral metamorphosis. Their presence can refer to the idea of apotheosis, which would give a second meaning to the scene or rather continuity in the reading. To the theme of Hercules Musagète, haloed by glory, who inscribes his bravery in posterity, is added the apotheosis of the hero, who, oscillating between terrestrial world (evoked by the very small window that the artist opens on a pastoral scene) and divine world, achieves its final metamorphosis thanks to the works accomplished on earth. Hercules is thus in a place between two, he is no longer on earth since it is visible below, but has not yet joined the celestial world. This divine space is materialized by the presence of the god Apollo initiating a movement towards the heavens, by the figure of the genie which symbolizes the immortal part of the hero and by the reference to Castor and Pollux, the twins metamorphosed into stars. Thus three spaces coexist in the drawing and allow the artist to demonstrate his mastery of the perception of different planes and depth. Through a complex composition, Gérard manages to emphasize both his artistic dexterity, but also the extent of his ancient culture. A youthful work by the artist, it already reveals the qualities of a future great painter.



Gérard's talent in representing an antique scene was reflected a few years later in the illustrations he created for Didot editions. This publisher wishes to launch a prestigious limited edition edition of the great classics of ancient and contemporary literature in a monumental format: the folio. This ambitious project mobilizes the greatest academic artists of their time. With a classical approach, most of them stayed at the Academy of Rome, and are members of the Academy of Painting. The youngest (Gérard is 31 years old, Girodet 34 years old) are also those who have been in greatest demand, and receive orders for the most important pieces: Andromaque, Iphigénie, for example. In 1798 the first work was published, it was the works of Virgil illustrated by 23 prints based on the designs of Girodet and Gérard. The latter will also illustrate Alexandre for volume 1 and Bajazet and Iphigénie for volume 2.

Achilles swearing to avenge the death of Patroclus

François Pascal Simon GÉRARD.

Black pencil

26,8 x 35,5 cm

Caen, Museum of Fine Arts