Jean-Baptiste Belley
<p>Sold into slavery as a boy, Jean-Baptiste Belley (1746–1805) bought his freedom in 1764. Belley fought in the American War of Independence and served as a captain in the French army during the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) fighting to abolish slavery on the island of Saint-Domingue (now Hispaniola). In 1793 he was elected to the National Convention in Paris, becoming its first black deputy.<br>Belley wears the uniform of a representative to the Convention. As we know from the painting for which this is a highly finished study or copy drawing, his hat feathers and sash are the colors of the French Republic: blue, white, and red. He leans against a marble plinth supporting a bust of the French philosopher and enemy of slavery Guillaume Raynal (1713–1796).</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1787
- Dimensions
- 36.9 × 30.3 cm (14 9/16 × 11 15/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
Artist
Drawing
Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson
Full artist profile →More
More by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson
The Archery Match, from the Aeneid, Book V
1818 · Black crayon on blue-gray laid paper
Coupin de La Couperie
1816 · lithograph
Portrait of Coupin de la Couperie
1816 · Lithograph in black on ivory wove paper
Portrait of Coupin de la Couperie
1816 · Lithograph in black on cream wove paper
Fingal Mourning Over the Body of Malvina, from Ossian's Berrathon
1810 · Black chalk with brush and black ink and brown wash, heightened with white gouache, on ivory laid paper prepared with a gray wash
Sketch for The Revolt of Cairo
1805 · Oil and ink on paper, laid down on canvas
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Year
- 1787
- Dimensions
- 36.9 × 30.3 cm (14 9/16 × 11 15/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1787-118908
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified