Issued in 1971, this French commemorative stamp marks the historic Opening of the Estates-General on 5 May 1789, a key event that ignited the French Revolution. The design by Albert Decaris depicts delegates of the Three Estates—the Clergy, the Nobility, and the Third Estate—standing before the ornate interior of Versailles. Rendered in rich red-violet and carmine tones, the stamp captures the tense yet momentous atmosphere of the gathering that paved the way for the National Assembly. A desirable piece for thematic collections on the French Revolution, political history, and Enlightenment-era Europe.