The medallion will be auctioned this weekend during a big sale organized by Philippe and Aymeric Rouillac.

-

J. Gicquel / 20 Minutes

  • A medallion offered by Louis XIV to a privateer from Saint-Malo will be auctioned this weekend.

  • Representing the Sun King in profile, the jewel is adorned with 20 Crown diamonds.

  • A valiant fighter, the privateer Alain Porée received him as a gift in 1696 after numerous feats of arms.

The treasure has been carefully preserved for more than three centuries by a family from Saint-Malo.

This weekend, it will be one of the centerpieces of the big auction organized by the Rouillac family at the Château d'Artigny (Indre-et-Loire).

The object of all attention is a gold and silver medallion representing Louis XIV in profile.

But it is above all the twenty diamonds that adorn the frame that catch the eye and make it the rarity of the piece.

Twenty diamonds adorn the medallion bearing the effigy of Louis XIV.

- J. Gicquel / 20 Minutes

It is a testament to the Sun King's all-consuming passion for glitz and shine.

During his reign, Louis XIV did not cease to offer as a gift medallions bearing his effigy set with Crown diamonds.

"We identified 400 portrait boxes offered between 1660 and 1703 and today only three remain with their original diamonds, all the others have been stolen or sold", underlines Philippe Rouillac, the auctioneer who will ensure the sale.

A privateer rewarded for his heroism

One of these jewels is in the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre Museum, the second in the Bologna Museum in Italy.

The third resurfaced at the end of 2019 when Philippe Rouillac received a call from a Saint-Malo family wishing to part with a piece of jewelry.

And what a gem!

It was their ancestor Alain Porée who had received it from the hands of the King in 1696. Because this Saint Malo privateer, not as famous as Surcouf or Duguay-Trouin, fought like a hell of a devil at the end of the 17th century to defend the city and the interests of the Kingdom.

Legend has it that on board the

Holy Spirit

, he took control of twenty-seven enemy ships between 1693 and 1697. All these feats of arms which quickly reached the ears of the Sun King who, to honor him , gave him the precious medallion.

"Louis XIV thus expressed his deep gratitude to him," Aymeric Rouillac indicates.

The English want the medallion, Saint-Malo too

More than three centuries later, the medallion is therefore preparing to change hands this weekend.

"The English remember Alain Porée well and want to take their revenge", smiles Philippe Rouillac, just to raise the auction which will start at 50,000 euros, the amount of the price of the jewel.

But Saint-Malo also intends to conserve this treasure, a unique witness to the city's history.

The city has just launched a kitty so that the Falklands and Falklands help it acquire the precious medallion for its future maritime history museum.

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