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Oath of the Tennis Court
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Painting by Jacques-Louis David showing a crowded indoor scene of men with raised arms taking the Tennis Court Oath, with dramatic light streaming from windows above.
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Oath of the Tennis Court

sketch by David
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Painting by Jacques-Louis David showing a crowded indoor scene of men with raised arms taking the Tennis Court Oath, with dramatic light streaming from windows above.
Jacques-Louis David: Tennis Court Oath, June 20, 1789 Tennis Court Oath, June 20, 1789, oil on canvas by Jacques-Louis David, 18th century; in the Musée Histoire de Paris Carnavalet.

The Tennis Court Oath was a pivotal event during the French Revolution on June 20, 1789. Deputies of the Third Estate, locked out of their meeting hall, convened in an indoor tennis court. There, they swore not to disband until a written constitution for France was established. This act of defiance was a significant challenge to King Louis XVI, who eventually relented and ordered the other estates to join the newly formed National Assembly.

Jacques-Louis David, a prominent Neoclassical painter, began a sketch of this event. While David is known for his revolutionary art, such as The Death of Marat, his sketch of the Tennis Court Oath captures a moment of unified resistance by the commoners against the monarchy.12

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  1. Tennis Court Oath
  2. Jacques-Louis David

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