Mirabeau Arrives at the Elysian Fields Possibly 1792

Louis Joseph Masquelier created this print, "Mirabeau Arrives at the Elysian Fields," around the time of the French Revolution. It depicts the recently deceased revolutionary hero Mirabeau arriving in the classical Elysian Fields, greeted by figures such as Benjamin Franklin. The image creates meaning through its visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. The Elysian Fields is a classical reference that elevates the status of Mirabeau and the revolution. The figure of Franklin alludes to the Enlightenment values that informed the revolutionary project in France. A putto carries a flag marked "France Libre", literally Free France, announcing the ambition to sweep away the old feudal order. This artwork comments on the social structures of its own time, expressing a progressive desire to critique the institutions of the ancien regime. To understand this print better, research into popular political imagery of the French Revolution would be invaluable. Art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.