Louis Seize, Roi des Français, Restaurateur de la Liberté (Louis XVI, Restorer of Liberty)
Louis acceded to the throne in 1774 and his support for America's bid for independence included military support that proved crucial to the outcome of the Revolutionary War–France also hoped to regain territories lost to Britain during the Seven Years' War. This print, which proclaims the king "Restorer of Liberty," was published a few months after the outbreak of the French Revolution at a time when Louis still retained his crown. In September 1792, however, France would become a republic and the king treason and guillotined in January 1793.
Artwork Details
- Title: Louis Seize, Roi des Français, Restaurateur de la Liberté (Louis XVI, Restorer of Liberty)
- Engraver: Charles Clément Bervic (French, Paris 1756–1822 Paris)
- Artist: After Antoine François Callet (French, Paris 1741–1823 Paris)
- Sitter: Louis XVI, King of France (French, Versailles 1754–1793 Paris)
- Date: 1790
- Medium: Etching and engraving
- Dimensions: Plate: 29 1/4 × 22 1/8 in. (74.3 × 56.2 cm)
Sheet: 34 1/2 in. × 25 in. (87.6 × 63.5 cm)
Frame: 45 × 35 in. (114.3 × 88.9 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Adelaide Milton de Groot, in memory of her aunt Elaine Smith Hawley, to whom it belonged, 1946
- Object Number: 46.95
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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