Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, Petition to Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI by the Officer Desbans, 1775-1776; Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (Rothschild Family Trusts). Photo: Mike Fear © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor
This display highlights a new addition to the collection at Waddesdon- Gabriel de Saint-Aubin’s volume – Petitions from the Officer Desbans (1775-76). This elaborate manuscript petition was submitted to Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette by a soldier, Edme Louis Desbans, asking for a long-promised promotion. Gabriel de Saint-Aubin was one of the greatest draughtsman of 18th-century France and the drawings with which he brought this document to life were designed to glorify the royal couple while appealing to their artistic tastes and sensibilities. This unique work offers a glimpse into the politics of promotion and favour at the French court near the end of the Old Regime -in which the fortune of an individual depended upon the arts of persuasion. It has all sorts of resonances today, from patronage to the mysterious world of the political lobbyist.
The display explores new research into the petitioner Edme Louis Desbans and petitions in late 18th century France. The entire volume has been digitised and will be available online to browse (web address).
