LOUIS XVI, ROI DE FRANCE (1754-1793) Lot n° 90

Etching titled "Le sacre de Louis XVI. Estampe allégorique". By Louis-Joseph MASQUELIER (1741-1811) and François Denis NEE (1732-1817), after Charles MONNET (1732-1817). Annotation "Champagne n°1" lower right. H. 37 x L. 28 cm (board cut). Related work Louis-Joseph Masquelier (1741-1811) and François-Denis Née (1732-1817), after Charles Monnet (1732-1817), "Allégorie gravée à l'occasion du Sacre de Louis XVI", 1774, Bibliothèque nationale de France. History Louis-Joseph Masquelier, born in northern France, moved to Paris to perfect his engraving skills in the workshops of Jacques-Philippe le Bas. There, he met François-Denis Née, with whom he became very close and with whom he collaborated throughout his professional life. On June 11, 1775, Louis XVI was crowned King in Reims Cathedral, following a tradition dating back to the time of Pepin the Short. On the print, the future King Louis XVI is about to be united with France, represented by Marie-Antoinette. He is led to her by Minerva, goddess of wisdom. He is accompanied by the peers of the kingdom, dressed in purple and ermine. For his part, Louis XVI wears the characteristic blue coronation coat lined with ermine. With the coronation, the King of France becomes a lay bishop. The figure of Religion observes the scene from heaven, holding a chalice, doubtless filled with the wine of communion, reserved for priests and the King himself. This figure establishes the king's legitimacy by presenting him as the worthy representative of the kingdom according to God's will.