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Painted miniature presented in a solid 18-carat colored gold brooch, representing the portrait of the Count of La Villlirouët* (1754-1845) in a frock coat, who was saved by the pleading of his wife Victoire de Lambilly (1767-1813, first female lawyer in France), during the Revolution, from the late 18th-early 19th centuries.
This brooch is in good condition. No hallmark but has been tested for 18K gold.
Please note: missing the pin's peak, tiny scratches and slight wear from time, see photos.
This miniature comes from the Breton family of La Guerrande , related to the family of La Villirouët by marriage. Thus, the family of La Guerrande, current owner of the castles of La Touraille and Lémo, descends from Count Paul de la Villirouët (1829-1919), mayor of the commune of Augan (Morbihan) between 1871 and 1900. Thus on the death of the count, his possessions passed to his son-in-law Pierre Libault de la Chevasnerie, whose eldest daughter married René de la Guerrande, Count of Hurlières (1891-1964).
would be the first woman in France to plead before the Military Commission of Paris. Daughter of Pierre de Lambilly, Marquis of Baud-Kerveno, Baron of Kergroix, Viscount of Broutay, and of Françoise de La Forest d'Armaillé
On June 12, 1787, she married Jean Baptiste Mouësan de La Villirouët (1754-1845) in Rennes.
She brought as her dowry the lordships of Locminé, Moustoir-Ac and Remungol. During the French Revolution, her husband was imprisoned in Lamballe between 1793 and 1795, then arrested again by the revolutionary police and tried in Paris before a military commission in 1799, for desertion, following his emigration during the Revolution. Returning from England, he faced execution. During her trial, Victoire de Lambilly obtained exceptional authorization from the president of the court to ensure her husband's defense herself, pleading alone before the commission, and succeeded in obtaining his unanimous acquittal. From 1800, struck off the list of émigrés through Joseph Fouché, the countess's family stayed in Nantouillet. The countess had the opportunity to meet the Empress Joséphine on March 17, 1810 and Napoleon on July 1 of the following year. She is considered the first female lawyer in Brittany and France.
