Historical and Commemorative
Medals
Collection of Benjamin Weiss
LOUIS XVI: LAST INTERVIEW OF THE KING OF FRANCE KüCHLER, Conrad Heinrich: France, 1793, Bronze, 48 mm Louis XVI (1754-1793) King of France (1774-1792) was the
son of Louis, dauphin of France, and grandson and successor of Louis XV. In
1770 he married Marie Antoinette, daughter of Emperor Francis I and Empress
Maria Theresa. In 1789, during the French revolution, the royal family was
moved from Versailles to the Tuileries Palace. Later they were captured and
brought back to Paris and imprisoned. Louis was charged with treason and
guillotined on January 21, 1793. Having lost his elder son in 1789, Louis
left two children: Louis Charles (Louis XVII), and Marie Therese Charlotte,
Duchess of Angouleme. The poignancy of the reverse of the king's medal shows
Kuchler's artistry at its very best. The medal has been named "The
King's farewell" and was intended to exploit the popular revulsion of
feeling in England at the execution of the King and Queen of France. LINK to eyewitness account of the Execution of Louis XVI (from eyewitnesstohistory.com) LINK to other medals by Kuchler struck by Matthew Boulton at the Soho Mint (from collection of Bill McKivor) LINK to the Soho Mint (from The Gentleman's Magazine) |
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