Three young men at the left, dressed in tunics and sandals, stretch their right arms forward in a powerful gesture, reaching toward an older man who stands at the center holding three swords upright. The older man, wearing a red cloak and sandals, stands with his back to the women on the right, his arms raised as he presents the swords to the brothers in a solemn act. Behind the brothers, a spear leans against the wall, and two of the men wear Roman helmets, or galeae, emphasizing the ancient Roman setting.

The figures are arranged in a shallow, stage-like space defined by three large arches and columns, with strong light falling from the left, casting dramatic shadows and highlighting the muscular forms and crisp folds of their garments. The color scheme is dominated by muted earth tones and greys, with the red of the central figure’s cloak and the blue of the women’s garments providing vivid accents. Every detail, from the polished swords to the texture of the stone floor, is rendered with precise, smooth brushwork and sharply defined contours, typical of the Neoclassical style.

The composition is rigorously balanced, with the three brothers forming a unified group on the left, the father standing alone in the center, and the grieving women grouped on the right, their curved postures contrasting with the men’s rigid, upright stances. The moment David chose to depict is his own invention, presenting the oath as a dramatic, unified gesture that became a model for Neoclassical art.