Separated from his family in the Temple prison since the start of his trial, Louis XVI was allowed to say his goodbyes to them on 20 January 1793, the day before his execution.
It took place in the dining room, behind a partition from which the commissioners (on the right) could keep an eye on the prisoners. Abbé Edgeworth, his confessor, and Jean-Baptiste Cléry, his last valet, witnessed the scene (on the left). At the centre of the composition, the king is surrounded by Marie-Antoinette, Madame Élisabeth, Madame Royale and the Dauphin, all in tears.
Cléry wrote : “All were leaning towards him, and often held him in their embrace. (…) One could only see that after each sentence spoken by the King, the sobs of the Princesses redoubled (…) He uttered this farewell in such an expressive manner that (…) Madame Royale fainted at the King’s feet, whom she was embracing. I lifted her up and helped Madame Elisabeth to support her: the King, wishing to put an end to this heart-rending scene, gave them the most tender embraces, and found the strength to tear himself from their arms.”