Scale model of the Bastille

Anonymous, under the direction of Pierre-François Palloy (1755-1835)

Occurring after a series of tumultuous episodes, the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, is now considered to be the symbol of the French Revolution and marks its beginning.

Starting on July 15, 1789, Pierre-François Palloy began demolition of the building, which required 800 workers. Although most of the stones were reused in buildings in Paris, some of them fed the market for souvenirs and derivatives that commemorated the French Revolution. Palloy immediately grasped the symbolic scope of this episode and had various souvenir objects made (commemorative medals, buttons, card or domino games, etc.). Above all, he organized the large-scale distribution of models of the monument made from the original stone, following a model created by a stonecutter named Dax. Among the copies made for ministers, departments and even foreign dignitaries such as George Washington, the model belonging to the Carnavalet Museum is one of the rare copies that still exist.