Legion of Honor, First Empire, exceptional grand eagle plaqu - Lot 125

Legion of Honor, First Empire, exceptional grand eagle plaque of General Junot, Duc d'Abrantès, known as "La Tempête". Embroidery in the form of a star with five double branches applied with silver sequins arranged in tortoiseshell, bordered by a folded silver blade underlined by a silver cannetille cordonnet forming a loop to fasten the points. The bevelled arms feature a cluster of five decreasing silver rays edged with silver cannetille forming a loop at the ends. The wide central medallion is adorned with silver sequins placed in circles, on which is fixed a French eagle in cast and chased silver, head to the left, wings asymmetrical, talons impaling a thunderbolt and lightning bolts. The listel, edged in silver cannetille, is embroidered in black silk thread with the order's motto "HONOR ET PATRIE", surmounted by two laurel branches embroidered in silver cannetille. Paper lining. Preserved in a long-grained red morocco case, the interior lined with ivory moiré silk and inscribed in pencil "Estrela do duque de Abrantes Junot" followed by the number 1080, the lid edged with a gold border, stamped in the center in gold letters "J. A. JUNOT". Diameter: 100mm France, circa 1805-1808. TTB to SUP Provenance: this General Junot plate was kept with part of his library in the estate of a Portuguese nobleman following the first French invasion of Portugal in 1808. Related work: a large eagle plate belonging to Emperor Napoleon in the State Historical Museum in Moscow (GIM 112948/KP-1733495), illustrated in "La berline de Napoléon", edited by Jean Tulard, Albin Michel, 2012, p. 168. Jean-Andoche Junot was born in Bussy-le-Grand (Côte-d'Or) on September 25, 1771. Enlisted in the 2nd battalion of Côte d'Or volunteers in 1791, nicknamed "La Tempête" ("The Storm") by his comrades for his courage and recklessness, the young sergeant was noticed by Captain Bonaparte during the Siege of Toulon, who made him his secretary and then aide-de-camp during the Italian Campaign. Having distinguished himself at Millesimo and Lonato, he was promoted to colonel and entrusted with bringing the first 21 flags he had conquered to the Directoire. Appointed brigadier general in Egypt in 1799, he distinguished himself near Nazareth, stopping with 500 men an army of 25,000 Turks sent to help the besieged of Saint-Jean d'Acre. Governor of Paris in 1800, he was promoted to Major General in 1801. A great officer of the Empire, he was appointed Colonel General of the Hussars in 1804. Although he was included in the first class of Grand Eagles of the Legion of Honor on February 2, 1805, he was not included in the list of Marshals. Undisclosing his dissatisfaction, he was sent to Portugal as ambassador in 1805. Abandoning his post to take part in the campaign against Austria, he took part in the battle of Austerlitz. Sent to Parma, he briefly returned to his post as Governor of Paris in 1806, then in 1807 led the first expedition against Portugal, which he conquered after taking Abrantès and then Lisbon. Defeated by British troops commanded by Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington) at Vimeiro on August 21, 1807, he surrendered at Cintra on August 30 on condition that he could repatriate his army. Created Duke of Abrantès on March 19, 1808, Junot joined the Grande Armée. He took part in the siege of Saragossa in Spain, then commanded the reserve army during the Austrian campaign, before returning to the Iberian peninsula in 1810 under Masséna. He distinguished himself at Astorga and Ciudad-Rodrigo, then in Portugal at Busaco, Sobral and Rio-Mayor, where he was seriously wounded. Repatriated, he recovered and took part in the Russian campaign. He was relieved of his command after the battle of Valoutina on August 19, 1812. Governor of the Illyrian Provinces in February 1813, he lost his mind for good. Repatriated to his father's home in Montbard, he defected on July 29, 1813. Junot's name is inscribed on the west pillar of the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile.