Thursday 25 November 2021

Court Artefacts: Miscellaneous

Louis XVI used this notecase for his secret correspondence with Beaumarchais. The case is made from red leather and decorated with golden details; the interior is lined with green silk. Due to the confidential contents, the notecase was protected by a lock which required a password to open it - that password was "A LOUIS" or "To Louis". The six metal disks would have to be aligned correctly to open it - much like a safe. The case was sold by the auction house Thierry de Maigret who appraised to to between 15.000-20.000 euros - however, it ended up selling for 110.000 euros.




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