This drawing is a somewhat unorthodox example of a compositional design, with only the figure of the seated Brutus and his dismayed fellow consul, Publius Valerius, worked to any degree of finish. The large sheet was likely done in the winter of 1785, after the Maison du Roi had identified twelve history painters who would be given commissions for the next Salon of 1787. David was included in the group who were to paint scenes from antiquity. As was his custom, he elaborated an ambitious and densely populated composition in an architectural setting inspired by his first trip to Rome. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection"