The Provost of the Merchants Etienne Marcel and the Dauphin Charles

By Rmn-Grand Palais

RMN-Grand Palais

The Provost of the Merchants Etienne Marcel and the Dauphin Charles (19th Century) by Lucien Melingue (1841-1889), Paris, musée d'OrsayOriginal Source: Agence photo de la Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais

On February 22, 1358 Étienne Marcel, Provost of the Merchants of Paris and representative of the bourgeoisie, invaded the royal Palais de la Cité with a small group of rioters.

Rioters murder the marshals of Champagne and Normandy in front of the Dauphin himself.

Here we see him swapping his headgear with the Dauphin's. His expression is full of superiority and power.

The Dauphin, who has been entrusted with the kingdom's regency, bears petrified witness to his marshals' murder, fearing for his own life, while Étienne Marcel humiliates him by decking him out in rioter headgear.

Credits: Story

We would like to thank:
- For design, illustrations, writing, and coordination of the RMN-Grand Palais project: Cécile Maisonneuve (Doctor of Art History, Policy Officer, Scientific Council), Nathalie Gathelier (National Museums Speaker), Annie Madec (Iconographer), Françoise Lombardi-Peissel (Project Manager) at RMN-Grand Palais.
- For reproductions: French museum collections represented by the Photo Agency of the Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais:
Montpellier, Musée Fabre; Versailles, Musée Lambinet; Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts; Paris, The Louvre; Paris, Centre Pompidou (Musée National d'Art Moderne - Centre de Création Industrielle).

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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