Bastille Key Paperweight<DESIGN MASTER ASSOCIATES Online

This Finely Crafted Paperweight Is A Scaled Reproduction Of Mount Vernon’s Famous Key To The Bastille, The Infamous Prison In Paris Overthrown At The Beginning Of The French Revolution. A Symbol Of Freedom And Liberty, The Key Was Sent In 1790 To George Washington By The Marquis De Lafayette, A Leader Of The French Revolution Who Had Served Under Washington During The American Revolutionary War A Decade Earlier.

The Key Has Remained At Mount Vernon For 200 Years, Prominently Displayed In Its Original Wood And Glass Case In The Mansion’s Central Passage. In A Letter That Accompanied The Key, Lafayette Wrote With Heartfelt Emotion, “Give Me Leave, My Dear General, To Present You With The Main Key To The Fortress Of Despotism. It Is A Tribute Which I Owe As A Son To My Adoptive Father, As An Aide De Camp To My General, As A Missionary Of Liberty To Its Patriarch.” The Original Key Was Delivered To General Washington By Thomas Paine.

This Replica Cast Iron Key Is Approximately 7″ Long And Weighs 1 Pound. Great Collectors’ Item For History Lovers, Decoration, Or Practical Paperweight.