Louis xvi sits fatly at a table, carving large pieces from a roast bird, a rolled paper in his pocket inscribed 'route de melz'; he turns back to an obsequiously grinning officer wearing a wig and ruffled collar and sleeves, who approaches from an open door to right, bowing and presenting an 'ordre of la municipalite poor l'arret de monsieur louis de bourbon', the king saying 'je me f- de tout cela laisse moi manger tranqillement'; in the doorway are seen a short man with the fleur-de-lis on his arm and a whip who comments, 'voila but for his dam guts we had been safe out of their reach', and five heavy-looking soldiers, all with skull-and-crossbone motifs on their bearskin hats. To left, marie antoinette stands looking in a mirror, adjusting her neckerchief and saying 'come my dear louis havn't you finish'd your two turkeys & drank your six bottles, you know we shall dine at mont medy', a fine hat on the chair in front of her. Behind to left, the dauphin sits grimacing on a water-closet, clutching at himself; his nurse approaches him with a beaker and spoon, saying 'aha! mon petit bourbon de shi-ten luck be de good luck'. On the wall, three frames, the first, titled 'louis 14', shows a preening figure, nude to the waist with a fistful of thunderbolts, standing on the back of a prostrate figure with several others abject at his feet, a temple to right; the second lacks a picture, but has an upside-down notice stuck in it, reading 'par le roy'; the third, 'juillet 14 1789', is the storming of the bastille. C. June 1791
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1791. Dimensions: Height: 334 mm; Width: 488 mm (trimmed). Medium: paper. Depicted People: Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre, . Collection: British Museum. Le Gourmand, heavy birds fly slow. Delay breeds danger. A scene at Varennes June 21 1791 (BM 1948,0214.491)
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