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| Belisarius Begging for Alms | |
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| Artist | Jacques-Louis David |
| Year | 1781 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 288 cm × 312 cm (113 in × 123 in) |
| Location | Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille |
Belisarius Begging for Alms (French: Bélisaire demandant l'aumône, lit. 'Belisarius asking for alms') is a large-format (288 × 312 cm) history painting in oil on canvas by the French artist Jacques-Louis David.[1] It depicts the Byzantine general Belisarius, who heroically defeated the Vandals in North Africa in AD 533–534 on behalf of Justinian I, and (according to an apocryphal account probably added to his biography in the Middle Ages) was later blinded by the emperor and reduced to begging for alms on the street.[1] David exhibited the work at the Salon of 1781 after returning from Italy and it proved a great success.[2]
It is now in the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille.[1]
- ^ a b c "Belisarius Begging for Alms / 16th-20th century Paintings / Highlights / Collections - Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille". pba.lille.fr. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
- ^ "Belisarius Begging for Alms / 16th-20th century Paintings / Highlights / Collections - Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille". pba.lille.fr. Retrieved 2023-08-03.