Focus on The Death of Marat and explore the Later history.
Several copies of the painting were made by David's pupils in 1793–1794, when the image was a popular symbol of martyrdom amid the Reign of Terror.  From 1795 to David's death, the painting languished in obscurity.  During David's exile in Belgium, it was hidden, somewhere in France, by Antoine Gros, David's most famous pupil.There was renewed interest in the painting after Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Charles Baudelaire praised the work after seeing it at the Bazar Bonne-Nouvelle in 1845. Nineteenth-century paintings inspired by David's work include Paul Jacques Aimé Baudry's Charlotte Corday. In the 20th century, David's painting inspired artists such as Pablo Picasso and Edvard Munch, poets (Alessandro Mozzambani) and writers (Peter Weiss' play Marat/Sade).  Brazilian artist Vik Muniz created a version composed of contents from a city landfill as part of his "Pictures of Garbage" series.The letter that appears in the painting, with bloodstains and bath water marks still visible, has survived and is owned by Robert Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford.
Reign of Terror Marat/Sade Charles Baudelaire Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Pablo Picasso Edvard Munch Vik Muniz Robert Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford Charlotte Corday Paul Jacques Aimé Baudry Antoine Gros