King Louis XVI Signed Appointment to the Royal Wardrobe at Versailles, 1781
A fascinating and unusually personal royal manuscript signed by King Louis XVI of France, issued at the Palace of Versailles on March 4, 1781. Written entirely in French, the document appoints Jean-François-Marie Lemoine as keeper of the effects belonging to the King’s wardrobe—an office within the intimate domestic administration of the French monarchy.
Louis XVI states that, having been well informed of Lemoine’s good conduct, zeal and devotion to royal service, he appoints him to fill the position vacated by the retirement of the previous custodian, Monsieur Couterot. Lemoine was charged with receiving and safeguarding articles belonging to the royal wardrobe, maintaining their cleanliness, delivering them to the valet then attending the King and arranging for the cleaning and upkeep of His Majesty’s clothing.
The document offers a remarkable glimpse into the daily operation of the royal household at Versailles. The King’s wardrobe was not merely a collection of garments but an organized department of the Maison du Roi, responsible for the clothing and personal effects employed in the monarch’s highly regulated ceremonial and private life.
Signed boldly at the conclusion “Louis” by King Louis XVI and countersigned “Amelot” by Antoine-Jean Amelot de Chaillou, Secretary of State of the King’s Household. Significantly, the document expressly declares that His Majesty signed it by his own hand and caused it to be countersigned by his Secretary of State.
Issued during the American Revolution and only eight years before the fall of the Bastille, the manuscript dates from the final decade of Bourbon royal life at Versailles. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were compelled to leave the palace in October 1789; the monarchy was abolished in 1792, and the King was executed the following year.
Dimensions: Approximately 10 × 13 inches.
Condition: Written in ink on laid paper, with original horizontal and vertical folds, scattered foxing, light staining, moderate toning and darkening along portions of the folds. The faint ink visible through the reverse is natural show-through from the writing on the front; the reverse is otherwise blank and bears no docketing. The manuscript remains complete and legible, with the signatures of Louis XVI and Amelot clearly preserved. No seal is present. Please examine the accompanying photographs.
An exceptional association document uniting Louis XVI, the Palace of Versailles and the King’s personal wardrobe—a far more intimate and evocative subject than the routine military appointments and financial orders ordinarily encountered bearing the monarch’s signature.
A fascinating and unusually personal royal manuscript signed by King Louis XVI of France, issued at the Palace of Versailles on March 4, 1781. Written entirely in French, the document appoints Jean-François-Marie Lemoine as keeper of the effects belonging to the King’s wardrobe—an office within the intimate domestic administration of the French monarchy.
Louis XVI states that, having been well informed of Lemoine’s good conduct, zeal and devotion to royal service, he appoints him to fill the position vacated by the retirement of the previous custodian, Monsieur Couterot. Lemoine was charged with receiving and safeguarding articles belonging to the royal wardrobe, maintaining their cleanliness, delivering them to the valet then attending the King and arranging for the cleaning and upkeep of His Majesty’s clothing.
The document offers a remarkable glimpse into the daily operation of the royal household at Versailles. The King’s wardrobe was not merely a collection of garments but an organized department of the Maison du Roi, responsible for the clothing and personal effects employed in the monarch’s highly regulated ceremonial and private life.
Signed boldly at the conclusion “Louis” by King Louis XVI and countersigned “Amelot” by Antoine-Jean Amelot de Chaillou, Secretary of State of the King’s Household. Significantly, the document expressly declares that His Majesty signed it by his own hand and caused it to be countersigned by his Secretary of State.
Issued during the American Revolution and only eight years before the fall of the Bastille, the manuscript dates from the final decade of Bourbon royal life at Versailles. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were compelled to leave the palace in October 1789; the monarchy was abolished in 1792, and the King was executed the following year.
Dimensions: Approximately 10 × 13 inches.
Condition: Written in ink on laid paper, with original horizontal and vertical folds, scattered foxing, light staining, moderate toning and darkening along portions of the folds. The faint ink visible through the reverse is natural show-through from the writing on the front; the reverse is otherwise blank and bears no docketing. The manuscript remains complete and legible, with the signatures of Louis XVI and Amelot clearly preserved. No seal is present. Please examine the accompanying photographs.
An exceptional association document uniting Louis XVI, the Palace of Versailles and the King’s personal wardrobe—a far more intimate and evocative subject than the routine military appointments and financial orders ordinarily encountered bearing the monarch’s signature.
