Jeff's Met Picks: David

Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier (1743–1794) and His Wife (Marie-Anne-Pierrette Paulze, 1758–1836), 1788

Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748–1825)

Oil on canvas

I see this massive painting every time I go to The Met. It hangs at the crossroads of some of my favorite collections. Painted by David, most famous for his "Death of Marat,"

that hangs in Belgium and is often referred to the painting that started the French Revolution, this painting of his is a masterpiece of portraiture, trompe l'oeil, and neoclassicism. M. Lavoisier, a genius in chemistry (he discovered the chemical composition of water!), went on to lose his head in the Reign of Terror, so it is particularly poignant to see him and his wife, who took all his notes in the workplace, in this moment of quiet, marital equality and happiness.