Phryne before Her Judges

The dramatic subject of Phryne before Her Judges was explored by the Neoclassical master Jacques-Louis David between 1816 and 1820, during his self-imposed exile in Brussels following the fall of Napoleon. This piece is classified as a drawing, executed using black chalk on wove paper that has since discolored to a warm beige hue. As a preparatory study, the technique highlights David’s masterful command of form and shadow, emphasizing the theatricality inherent in the classical scene and preparing the composition for a larger work.

The drawing depicts the legendary moment from Classical antiquity when the Athenian courtesan Phryne, accused of impiety, was dramatically stripped naked before the Heliastic court. The orator Hyperides revealed her physical perfection to the judges, arguing that they could not destroy a vessel of such divine beauty. David often returned to themes of virtue, sacrifice, and dramatic rhetoric drawn from Greek and Roman history, a hallmark of his French Neoclassical style. Although primarily known for his grand historical paintings, David’s drawings from this later period reveal his continued dedication to classical ideals even while separated from the political center of France.

Although the final painted version of Phryne before Her Judges remained incomplete at the time of David's death, this study is a valuable record of his late ambition and draftsmanship. Such detailed drawings were often highly prized by collectors and served as inspiration for later artists. Today, high-quality prints and digital reproductions derived from these works, now frequently residing in the public domain, ensure the continued study of David's rigorous technique. This historically important drawing is housed in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, representing a crucial phase of Neoclassicism in the early 19th century.