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This is one of the greatest portraits of the 18th century, painted when David was at the peak of his powers and had become the standard-bearer of French Neo-classicism. Lavoisier is best known for his pioneering studies of oxygen, gunpowder, and the chemical composition of water. In 1789 his theories were published in "Taité élémentaire de chimie". The illustrations in this book were prepared by his wife, who is believed to have study with David. A portofolio of her drawings rest on the armchair to the left. Through his post as Commissioner of Gunpowder, Lavoisier was involved in a political scandal which led him to withdraw the present painting from the Salon of 1789. Despite his service to the revolutionary regime, he was guillotined along with twenty-seven other tax collectors.
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