Discours du roi, prononcé le 5 mai 1789, jour où sa Majesté a fait l’ouverture des Etats-Généraux.   [Paris]: de l’imprimerie de Didot l’Aîné, [1789].

£7,500 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

An exceptionally rare survival, in superb condition, this printed silk proclamation reproduces the text of the speech given by King Louis XVI at the opening of the Estates-General on 5 May, 1789. The text, in distinctive Didot type, is surrounded by a combination of crisply printed typographic ornament and engraved, delicate floral sprays. At the head are the royal arms of King Louis XVI, and pasted into roundels either side are profile portraits, printed on silk, of Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette. Describing himself as ‘le premier ami’ of his people, the King acknowledges the parlous state of French finances, and the disquiet caused by taxation. Despite ending on a hopeful note about the ongoing happiness and prosperity of the kingdom, the Third Estate broke away to form the National Assembly less than six weeks later, a crucial first step towards Revolution. Also issued in regular, 8vo paper copies at the royal press, copies of the speech printed in this format on silk are extremely rare. We have identified only four others: two at the Musée Carnavalet, Paris (G.22143; another listed without shelfmark); one at the Getty Library (P980009* (bx.1,f.4)); and one at the John Rylands Library (R207075). Of these only three, including this one, are intact. The John Rylands copy and one at the Musée Carnavalet have been defaced, with variously the physical excision of the royal arms, portraits of the king and queen, and the word ‘Roi’ in the title. The survival of this copy intact

• Year: 1789

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