many of the pupils of Socrates, including Plato. Socrates, while elderly, is depicted as rather more handsome and fit than a 70-year old of his era would be in a more realistic depiction; his face is also much more idealized than the classical bust that is typically used as a reference portrait of Socrates. Plato would have been a young man at the time of Socrates's death, but in this painting he is the old man sitting at the foot of the bed. David might have intended the painting to be set in Plato's imagination, where an elderly Plato attempts to conjure the scene in his imagination as he writes. David signed this painting in two places; he put his full signature under Crito, the young man clutching Socrates's thigh, and his initials under Plato. David's signature placement often had symbolic meaning – for example, in his painting of Stanisław Kostka Potocki, David signed in the collar of the dog that is barking at the sitter. In Death of Socrates, his signatures also have meaning. His initials under Plato are a reference to the fact that the story comes from Plato, a thanks for the inspiration. His fuller signature under Crito means that this is the character whom the artist identifies most with. This may be a reference for Crito's position in the composition – clutching Socrates's thigh. In this way, David would be seen as a man who likewise clutches at the morals and values that Socrates represents. Creation and history Rather than a royal commission, David received a direct private commission for the work in 1786 from the wealthy Charles-Michel Trudaine de la Sablière, the youngest son of and around 20 years old at the time. Trudaine was intrigued by a drama that Denis Diderot had considered writing but never completed. One of the dramatic scenes that Diderot's unfinished did include was his death, which led to the commission for a painting. David's friend at the time André Chénier was also a member of the "Trudaine society" circle, and David appears to have followed Chénier's suggestions on matters such as the pose of Socrates in reaching out for the cup while still teaching. More generally, Socrates was a popular subject at the time as an example of Enlightenment values: a man who kept to the truth with admirable rationality and self-control. David had created an initial treatment as