Assignaat van 10 livres, 1792 1792

This is a ten-livre assignat, printed in 1792 by the Domaines Nationaux in France. Assignats were paper money issued during the French Revolution, initially backed by the value of lands seized from the Church and aristocracy. This particular assignat reveals the economic and political turmoil of the time. The phrase "L'an 1 de la Republique" indicates it was printed in the first year of the French Republic, following the overthrow of the monarchy. The text at the bottom threatens counterfeiters with death, reflecting anxieties about economic stability and social order. The imagery, with its classical references, attempts to legitimize the new currency and the revolutionary government. Historians would study such objects alongside financial records, political pamphlets, and personal accounts to understand the assignat's impact on the lives of ordinary people and the broader course of the Revolution. The meaning of this artwork, like any other, is shaped by its historical and institutional context.