Jean-Baptiste Roman (31 October 1792 – 13 February 1835) was a French sculptor. He was born and died in Paris. Among his works is a sculpture on the death of Cato the Younger, a theme that became popular along with

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

sentiment. It depicts Cato reading the ''

Phaedo ''Phædo'' or ''Phaedo'' (; el, Φαίδων, ''Phaidōn'' ), also known to ancient readers as ''On The Soul'', is one of the best-known dialogues of Plato's middle period, along with the ''Republic'' and the ''Symposium.'' The philosophical ...

'' of

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

, on the death of

Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...

, heroically nude as he contemplates his own death. The piece was commissioned in 1832 for the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, but was finished by François Rude after his friend's death. Roman was an instructor in sculpture at the

École des beaux-arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

; his vacant place was filled in 1835, by Louis-Messidor Lebon Petitot, full ''professeur'' from 1845 to 1862.''Procès-verbaux de l'Académie des Beaux-arts: 1830-1834'', edited by

Jean-Michel Leniaud Jean-Michel Leniaud (18 August 1951, Toulon) is a French historian of art. A specialist of architecture and art of the 19th and 20th centuries, he was director of the École Nationale des Chartes from 2011 to 2016. He is president of the Sociét ...

(Paris, 2004), vol. 5, p. 183.

List of works

*''L'Innocence'' (1822), a nude girl holding a lizard, an

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...

of innocence. * ''Le peintre Girodet'' (1827), a

portrait bust A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, and a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. The bust is generally a p ...

Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (or ''de Roucy''), also known as Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson or simply Girodet (29 January 17679 December 1824),Long, George. (1851) ''The Supplement to the Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of ...

(1767–1824) * '' Nisus et Euryale'' (1827) * ''Caton d'Utique lisant le Phédon avant de se donner la mort'' (1832) with François Rude

References

Information not otherwise noted comes from th
Atlas database
of the Louvre. 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors Knights of the Legion of Honour Prix de Rome for sculpture Sculptors from Paris 1792 births 1835 deaths 19th-century French male artists {{France-sculptor-stub