A TRICK BY THE PAINTER GÉRARD

Fate had designated the painter Gérard to be part of the jury that was to condemn Marie-Antoinette. Gérard felt the enormous responsibility of his new role. What to do? To refuse is death; to accept is ignominy. One must choose. The artist has only one choice to make; he makes it.
The day before the fatal judgment, Gérard has a broken leg. Lying on his bed, in the grip of the most intense pain, he is unable to obey the law, to go to the revolutionary tribunal. He is replaced, he escapes his terrible function; but here he is condemned to spend six long weeks, lying on a chaise longue.
Luckily for him, no unexpected circumstance, no clue revealed his trick. His surgeon was his friend.