“This black chalk drawing by Jacques-Louis David offers a serene vision of a reclining figure, showcasing the artist's mastery of classical form and the soft play of light on the human body.”
A figure reclines languidly on a draped bed in this black chalk drawing, their body a study in classical form. The pose, with one arm bent overhead and the other resting on the hip, emphasizes the smooth contours of the torso and limbs. Light falls softly across the figure, highlighting the delicate modeling of the muscles and the gentle curve of the spine. The drapery, rendered with a few deft strokes, creates a sense of volume and depth around the figure, suggesting a luxurious setting without elaborate detail. This drawing, created around 1780, captures a moment of quiet introspection or perhaps a classical ideal of beauty, reflecting the Neoclassical taste of the era that valued classical austerity and heightened feeling over Rococo frivolity.
- Artist
- Jacques-Louis David
- Date
- 1780
- Medium
- Black chalk on paper
- Location
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Dimensions
- 5 1/2 x 8 5/16 in. (14 x 21.1 cm)
- Collection
- Robert Lehman Collection
- Credit line
- Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The way the light defines the musculature of the torso.
The delicate rendering of the hair and facial features.
The flowing lines of the drapery around the figure.
The subtle shading that creates a sense of three-dimensionality.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Hermaphrodite — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Jacques-Louis David
1748–1825 · FranceDavid survived revolution, prison, and exile to paint Napoleon's glory — and still died the most influential artist in France.
Further Works by David
Andromache Mourning Hector
1783 · Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
Napoleon Crossing the Alps
1800 · Musée national de Malmaison et Bois-Préau
Head of a Child
1768 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons
1787 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743–1794) and Marie Anne Lavoisier (Marie Anne Pierrette Paulze, 1758–1836)
1788 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
General Étienne-Maurice Gérard (1773–1852)
1816 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Madame François Buron
1769 · Art Institute of Chicago
Patroclus
1780 · Musée Thomas-Henry
More from Academic art
More works to explore
Beyond David and Academic art: works from the same years, and from the other movements Hermaphrodite belongs to.
Same movement · Neoclassicism
Amédée-David, the Comte de Pastoret
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1823 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1760s–1790s
Louis-Philippe-Joseph, Duke of Orleans 'Philippe Egalité' (1747-1793) (after Sir Joshua Reynolds)
Samuel Drummond · 1785 · National Trust
Same era · 1760s–1790s
Portrait of a Lady
John Smart of Ipswich · 1773 · Yale Center for British Art
Same era · 1760s–1790s
Portrait of a Man
Benjamin West · 1790 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1760s–1790s
Milton Dictating to His Daughter
Henry Fuseli · 1794 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1760s–1790s
Design for a Lampas Silk with a Triumphal Chariot on a Cloud
Philippe de la Salle · 1765 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1760s–1790s
Self-Portrait
Francisco Goya · 1783 · Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Agen
Same era · 1760s–1790s
The Right Honorable Henry Fox, Lord Holland
William Hogarth · 1782 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1760s–1790s
A young girl walks towards the left with one infant on her shoulder and holding another small child's hand, while two children walk at right with a torch and a basket
Luca Cambiaso · 1775 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1760s–1790s
Sappho embracing Love
John Mannin · 1786 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1760s–1790s
John Jehu, L'Inghilterra
James Bretherton · 1772 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1760s–1790s
Punch Bowl
Artist Unknown - The Mercat Cross, Aberdeen · 1789 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1760s–1790s
Hot milk jug
Höchst Manufactory · 1770 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art




