HILAIRE THIERRY (FRENCH, EARLY 19TH CENTURY)

The drawing offered here is an evocation of the Château at Chatillon-Coligny-Montmorency lost by the Montmorency family during the Revolution. The drawing was most likely commissioned by Charles Emmanuel Sigismond de Montmorency-Luxembourg (b.1774) who was the last of the great Maréchal line. The vignettes that flank the main vista depict places of exile used by the Montmorency family during the Revolution and include other Châteaux at Neuilly, Epiney and Jouey.
The classically draped female figure with a raised sword is reminiscent of Themis, the embodiment of divine order and justice, who seems to have dramatically raised the Bourbon flag upon the romantic vision of the lost château. The strong architectural framework headed by the Montmorency coat-of-arms articulates the family's allegiance to the legitimist cause in France.