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The "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen," the seminal document of the French Revolution on what is possibly a design for a monument--the text is depicted on a Neoclassical architectural form, decorated with allegorical reliefs in the Greco-Roman style.

Early in the French Revolution, on August 26, 1789, the newly powerful National Assembly passed this document, which asserted the rights of all citizens to "liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression," freedom of the press and freedom of religion. This engraving is subtitled "Decree by the National Assembly 3 September 1791." In September 1791, the Assembly finished the Constitution, King Louis promised to uphold it, and the National Assembly dissolved itself and was replaced by Legislative Assembly, completing the process of transforming France into a constitutional monarchy.

The original design for this engraving is credited to "Fragonard's Son," probably Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard (1780-1850), painter, sculptor and draftsman, and son of the renowned French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Taught by his father and the painter David, he was an artistic prodigy, making his Salon debut at the age of 13. Early in his career, Fragonard produced genre prints and several allegories, such as French Republic, during the Revolution. He went on to receive several painting and sculpture commissions. His works are in the collections of the Louvre and the Museé Fragonard, among others.

Jacques-Louis Copia was a German-born printmaker.

References:

"Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard." The Grove Dictionary of Art. New York: Macmillan. 2000. Online at Artnet.com. http://www.artnet.com/library/02/0291/T029187.asp (15 April 2002).

Spang, Rebecca and Kingston, Ralph. "Estates-General & Constituent Assembly (May 1789 - September 1791)." Hist1210: Europe in the Age of Revolutions. University College London. 1999. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/history/courses/europe1/chron/rch3.htm (15 April 2002).