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Le Peuple déliverant les Gardes Françaises a l'Abbaye St. Germain. le 30 Juin 1789

Engraving
1791-1794 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This print is an illustration to a group of prints depicting events during the French Revolution. The prints with accompanying text were originally sold separately between 1791-4, then were issued as a set of three bound volumes 'Collection complète des tableaux historiques de la révolution française' in 1804. The authors of the work were all actively involved in the early stages of the revolution, as was the artist of this print, Jean-Louis Prieur.

This scene shows the people of Paris releasing guards from the prison in the Abbey St Germain on the 30th June 1789. Disturbances had broken out in the city during June, and the Gardes Françaises had been called in to restore order. Some soldiers defied orders to shoot on the crowd. Many of them were suffering the same famines and lack of money as the rioting Parisians. The Duc de Chatelet, the colonel in charge of the Gardes Françaises, ordered these soldiers to be incarcerated in the prison in the Abbey St Germain. News of this reached the cafes by the Palais Royale where people gathered to voice their anger at the government. A crowd soon marched to the Abbey where they forced entrance, released the soldiers, and also gathered arms for the battles that were to come in the next few weeks. This strengthened the bond between the soldiers and the ordinary citizens of Paris and was to become crucial to the success of the revolution. On 1 July, the king was encouraged against his will to pardon these soldiers, a victory for the power of the people over the once omnipotent king.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Le Peuple déliverant les Gardes Françaises a l'Abbaye St. Germain. le 30 Juin 1789 (assigned by artist)
  • Collection Complète des Tableaux Historiques de la Révolution Française (series title)
Materials and techniques
Engraving
Brief description
'Le Peuple déliverant les Gardes Françaises a l'Abbaye St. Germain. le 30 Juin 1789'. Print by Pierre Gabriel Berthault after Prieur, from the series 'Collection Complète des Tableaux Historiques de la Révolution Française', published Paris, 1791-1794.
Physical description
Print depicting a crowd of people, bearing released soldiers on their shoulders, during the French Revolution, 30 July 1789.
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 295mm
  • Sheet width: 460mm
  • Image height: 174mm
  • Image width: 236mm
  • Platemark height: 240mm
  • Platemark width: 285mm
Measured by Conservation in 2012
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Prieur inv. & del. Berthault Sculp.' (Lettered with title and)
  • '2' (Numbered)
Credit line
Given by Mr E. Rawdon-Smith
Object history
The Collection Complète des Tableaux Historiques de la Revolution Française was first published in 40 parts in Paris between 1791 and 1794. They were published in 3 volumes in 1804.
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Association
Summary
This print is an illustration to a group of prints depicting events during the French Revolution. The prints with accompanying text were originally sold separately between 1791-4, then were issued as a set of three bound volumes 'Collection complète des tableaux historiques de la révolution française' in 1804. The authors of the work were all actively involved in the early stages of the revolution, as was the artist of this print, Jean-Louis Prieur.

This scene shows the people of Paris releasing guards from the prison in the Abbey St Germain on the 30th June 1789. Disturbances had broken out in the city during June, and the Gardes Françaises had been called in to restore order. Some soldiers defied orders to shoot on the crowd. Many of them were suffering the same famines and lack of money as the rioting Parisians. The Duc de Chatelet, the colonel in charge of the Gardes Françaises, ordered these soldiers to be incarcerated in the prison in the Abbey St Germain. News of this reached the cafes by the Palais Royale where people gathered to voice their anger at the government. A crowd soon marched to the Abbey where they forced entrance, released the soldiers, and also gathered arms for the battles that were to come in the next few weeks. This strengthened the bond between the soldiers and the ordinary citizens of Paris and was to become crucial to the success of the revolution. On 1 July, the king was encouraged against his will to pardon these soldiers, a victory for the power of the people over the once omnipotent king.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1952. London: HMSO, 1963.
  • Text by Clause Fauchet, Sebastien R.N. Chamfort, Pierre L. Ginguené and F.X. Pagès. Cf. Tourneux Collection complète des tableaux historiques de la révolution française :composé de cent treize numéros en trois volumes. Paris: Auber, c1804.
  • Warren Roberts, Jacques-Louis David and Jean-Louis Prieur. Revolutionary Artists. The Public, the Populace, and Images of the French Revolution New York: University of New York Press, 2000. ISBN: 0-7914-4287-x
Collection
Accession number
E.1782-1952

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
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