Bayard Refusing the Presents of His Hostess, in Brescia c. 1789

Anne-Louis Girodet made this drawing, Bayard Refusing the Presents of His Hostess, in Brescia, in the early 19th century. Girodet lived through the French Revolution and the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, eras marked by significant social and political upheaval. The drawing illustrates a scene of supposed moral purity: the knight Bayard, known for his honesty and chivalry, refusing gifts from a noblewoman. But let’s consider what is really being pictured here. What are the implications of a soldier accepting or refusing gifts? What does it mean to refuse hospitality? The refusal risks shaming the women offering the gifts. The image can be understood as both reinforcing and questioning gender roles in society, where women are expected to offer comfort, and men, like Bayard, are expected to embody ideals of honor and restraint. At the time, images like these reinforced notions of national pride and moral rectitude. But it also invites us to question the power dynamics inherent in acts of giving and receiving, and the ways in which honor is often constructed at the expense of genuine human connection.