Erasistratus Discovering the Cause of Antiochus' Disease

David painted Erasistratus Discovering the Cause of Antiochus' Disease around 1774, his Prix de Rome submission that won him the scholarship and permitted his Italian journey. The subject — drawn from ancient medical history — depicted the physician Erasistratus diagnosing the love-sickness of Prince Antiochus by observing his accelerated pulse when the prince's stepmother Stratonice entered the room. The medical subject gave David opportunity to depict psychological states through physical observation — the doctor's diagnostic attention, the prince's physical response to desire — within a classical architectural setting. The work demonstrates his early mastery of the narrative history painting that his Italian years would develop into the severity of his mature classical style.

David arranges the scene with theatrical clarity, the physician's outstretched arm creating a dramatic gesture of revelation. The warm palette and dynamic composition show David still working within the tradition of his teacher Vien, before his conversion to austere Neoclassicism.