EXTRAORDINARY COMMISSION OF THE TWELVE. - Lot 86

Lot 86
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EXTRAORDINARY COMMISSION OF THE TWELVE. - Lot 86
EXTRAORDINARY COMMISSION OF THE TWELVE. Extraordinary Commission of the Twelve. Notice of meeting addressed to the president of the Museum section. Paris, May 27, 1793. Folio (approx. 36 × 24 cm), 1 printed sheet with handwritten text and autograph signature. A rare official document from the French Revolution, printed on the letterhead of the Extraordinary Commission of the Twelve, featuring at the top a large woodcut engraved with the coat of arms of the Republic bearing the motto “Minutes of the National Convention” dated 1792. The document, dated May 27, 1793, is addressed to the “Citizen President” of the Musée section. It summons the section authorities to take the necessary measures to ensure “the safety of good citizens, public property, the National Assembly, and the freedom of the city of Paris.” It emphasizes the need to ensure that “the Republicans cause no harm during these crises,” a particularly telling testament to the climate of extreme political tension that prevailed just a few days before the insurrectionary days of May 31 – June 2, 1793, which led to the fall of the Girondins. The text is dated: “At the Extraordinary Commission of the Twelve, May 27, 1793, Year II of the Republic, at eleven o’clock in the evening,” and bears the handwritten signature of President Mollevaut. Created on May 18, 1793, at the initiative of the Girondin majority in the Convention, the Commission of the Twelve was tasked with investigating plots against the National Convention and maintaining order in Paris. Its activities, strongly contested by the Montagnards and the Commune, sparked a severe political crisis that led to its dissolution a few days after this summons was drafted. Documents originating directly from this commission have become rare on the market. In very fine condition, large, untrimmed sheet, with slight marginal soiling and a faint original vertical fold, neither of which affects the text. Clear printing, fresh ink, and a well-preserved signature. A historical document of the highest order, illustrating the very final hours of the Commission of Twelve, at the heart of one of the most decisive episodes of the French Revolution.
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