The Tragic End of Louis XVI
Title
The Tragic End of Louis XVI
Description
As 80,000 crowded into the square to watch the execution of Louis XVI, they cannot have been unaware that the guillotine sat where a statue of Louis XV had been. Here Sanson, the executioner, snatches the detached head of Louis XVI to show to the crowd. He leans forward with approving eagerness. If the head of the King was the most recognizable old regime symbol, then the demise of that symbolic system becomes now complete. Waving on a pike, facing the King, is a Phrygian cap, now no longer placed on his head, as in other prints. In this way the engraver indicates a final severance of a complicated compromise.
Creator
Clausner
Source
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Date
1793
Rights
Public Domain
Relation
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/16/|<span>de Vinck. <em>Un siècle d'histoire de France par l'estampe, 1770-1870</em>. Vol. 31 (pièces 5142-5251), Ancien Régime et Révolution</span>
Format
JPEG
Language
French
German
Identifier
16
Original Format
Engraving
Physical Dimensions
14 x 19.5 cm
Title (French)
Fin Tragique de Louis XVI
Citation
Clausner, “The Tragic End of Louis XVI,” LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY: EXPLORING THE FRENCH REVOUTION, accessed December 22, 2024, https://revolution.chnm.org/d/16.