PRISSETTE (Jean-Baptiste) - Lot 260

Lot 260
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250 - 300 EUR
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PRISSETTE (Jean-Baptiste) - Lot 260
PRISSETTE (Jean-Baptiste) An exceptional collection relating to Louis XVI’s oldest regimental dragoon regiment. 1793–1833. The collection consists of: A signed autograph certificate, Mons, April 12, 1793, 1 folio page on laid paper, signed L. P. Chartrez, attesting to the excellent service of the dragoon Prissette, then serving in the 6th Dragoon Regiment. The document attests that he has been serving since the preceding February 20, that he has “always conducted himself perfectly,” that he is “a distinguished soldier worthy of promotion,” and that he receives this certificate “for his good service.” Document previously restored with numerous reinforcements on the reverse. Printed pamphlet, Paris, February 7, 1833, 4 pp., in-4, titled: Copy of the petition presented to the King by the longest-serving soldier in his service, by Prissette, his former orderly dragoon. Preserved with its autographed cover letter. In this lengthy petition addressed to Louis-Philippe, Prissette recounts more than forty years of loyal service to the Bourbons. A former dragoon in the service of Louis XVI, he recounts with remarkable precision the revolutionary days of 1792–1793, his personal service to the sovereign, the final months spent at the Tuileries, as well as several episodes he claims to have witnessed firsthand. The account includes, in particular, numerous passages devoted to: August 10, 1792, and the fall of the monarchy; the King’s final movements; the missions entrusted to the dragoons of the royal guard; Generals Lafayette, Dumouriez, Kellermann, Luckner, Miranda, Beurnonville, etc.; the difficulties faced by the former servants of Louis XVI under the July Monarchy. The text is particularly remarkable for its complete reproduction of the original 1793 certificate, preserved here alongside the corresponding printed copy, constituting a collection of exceptional provenance. Enclosed: A signed autograph letter from Jean Giraud, bookseller at Castiglione, addressed to Pierre Trémois, presenting this collection of documents (“Here, my dear friend, for your lovely wife…”). Modern provenance annotation on the inside back cover: “Certificate issued by Louis-Philippe to Delmas, then Duke of Chartres, on April 12, 1793; he fled to Switzerland after Jemappes” (incorrect note, as the certificate is signed by L. P. Chartrez and not by the future Louis-Philippe). A very fine historical collection, bringing together the original autograph document to which the 1833 printed pamphlet refers. Contemporary accounts originating directly from a former dragoon in Louis XVI’s service are particularly rare on the market. The combination of the 1793 manuscript, the printed petition, and the cover letter lends this collection first-rate documentary and historical significance for the history of the end of the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, and monarchist memory under the July Monarchy. Condition: certificate previously restored with reinforcements on the reverse; brochure and letter in good condition despite a few creases and slight foxing.
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