My dissertation demonstrates that Prud’hon’s embrace of classicism from 1770 to 1808 is a transformative direction that reflects the cultural developments of the period. The significance of political changes from the ancien régime through the Revolution and into the Empire had a considerable impact on artistic culture. I use selected examples from Prud’hon’s oeuvre to reveal connections between the classical revival, ideals of sexuality, and the relationship to political power and patronage in his development.