Mesure Royale Ancien Régime Folk Art

Grain measure (often called "boisseau" depending on its capacity) is a direct witness to rural life and the political upheavals of late 18th-century France.

At this time, before the generalization of the metric system (introduced in 1795 but slow to take hold), each region, even each seigneury, had its own units of measure.

It's made of wood (probably chestnut reinforced with wrought-iron fittings. These iron bands were not only structural: they were used to prevent the wood from working (which would have distorted the measurement) and to prevent the edges from wearing away when "shaving" the grain.

Grains (wheat, oats, barley) were measured on it. The fact that it has sturdy handles indicates that it had to be moved and emptied frequently.

This is the symbol of French Royalty. In the context of measurement, it indicates a royal or "calibrated" measure.

Under the Ancien Régime, measurements had to be verified and marked by royal officers. The blazon guarantees buyers and sellers that the volume conforms to the official standard. It is a mark of confidence and legality for trade and the collection of taxes (such as tithes or champart).

This is where the object tells a political story:

• 1771: This is probably the date of manufacture or first commissioning under the reign of Louis XV. The object was then fully integrated into the feudal and royal system.

• 1790: This date is crucial. We are at the very beginning of the French Revolution. In 1790, France was still a constitutional monarchy (Louis XVI was still king, hence the symbolic retention of the lilies on the object), but administration changed radically with the creation of the départements.

• Why two dates? It is very likely that the object was re-calibrated or verified in 1790 to confirm its validity in the new revolutionary administrative framework, just before royal symbols began to be systematically hammered out or erased (period of the Terror from 1792/93)