Duhaime's Law Gallery - The Law In Pictures

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Justinian's Great Decision

Object type: Painting
Formal Title: Justinien
Creator: Benjamin Constant (1845-1902)
Date Created: 1886
Origin: France
Current Location: France

It was a thousand years after the death of Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinian (482-565) that French painter Benjamin Constant visualized and portrayed on this canvass the great jurist commanding of his royal court a consolidation of Roman law into a great code, which became known as the Institutes, the Corpus Juris Civilis or the Pandects.

This was a seminal moment in law and justice as from it came an understandable and fair Roman law code which served as the direct basis for the civil law system, a system which is by far the most prevalent legal system in the world today.

Likely one of the other persons the artist Constant incorporated into his image is Tribonian, who led the task and became Justinian's top legal advisor, and may be the robed officer sitting just to the right of Justinian.

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Unless otherwise noted, this article was written by Lloyd Duhaime, Barrister, Solicitor, Attorney and Lawyer (and Notary Public!). It is not intended to be legal advice and you would be foolhardy to rely on it in respect to any specific situation you or an acquaintance may be facing. In addition, the law changes rapidly and sometimes with little notice so from time to time, an article may not be up to date. Therefore, this is merely legal information designed to educate the reader. If you have a real situation, this information will serve as a good springboard to get legal advice from a lawyer.

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