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The Coronation of Charles X in Reims

Cité de la Céramique de Sèvres, France © RMN-Grand Palais (Sèvres, Cité de la céramique) / Martine Beck-Coppola

Jean-Charles Develly

(1783 - 1862)

Date : 1825 | Medium : Gouache, watercolour

The inauguration of Charles X was the last coronation in French history and, in accordance with tradition, took place in Reims on 29 May 1825. The sovereign thus became part of a long line of monarchs, thus reinforcing his legitimacy in the eyes of the people: 'There, prostrate at the foot of the same altar at which Clovis received the sacred unction and in the presence of Him who judges people and kings, I will renew the oath to maintain and cause to be observed the state-laws.' A number of political and literary figures were present at the coronation, including Chateaubriand, Lamartine and Victor Hugo. As during mediaeval rituals, the cathedral was decked out in ornamentation appropriate for the coronation, including blue troubadour décor on the façade. The interior was also sumptuously decorated for the occasion, as can be seen in this sketch for a plate by the Manufacture de Sèvres painter Jean-Charles Develly; of particular note are the dais adorned with fleur de lys overhanging the chancel and the red drapes which make the galleries look like theatre ‘boxes’. Victor Hugo echoed this description in his account of the event: 'For the coronation of a king of France, a theatre had been constructed inside the church, and it has since been said, with perfect accuracy, that on arriving at the entrance I asked of the guard on duty, "where is my box?"'

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