Portrait Of Mayor Under The Directory, End Of The Eighteenth Century, Oil On Oval Canvas

Oil on oval canvas in its gilt wood frame. This character wearing a tricolor belt is a Mayor, referred to as a municipal agent under the Directory. In fact, on September 20, 1792, before separating to make way for a first Republic, the Legislative Assembly entrusted municipal officers with keeping civil status registers (births, marriages, deaths). This major social function, previously given to parish priests, gives new municipal councils and mayors additional legitimacy and prestige. In the years that followed, the mayors presided over civic ceremonies, dressed in this uniform with a red scarf with tricolor fringes, which allows us to date this painting as being from the end of the 18th century. Good condition.