MONTYON (Jean-Baptiste, Antoine, Auger, Baron de). - Lot 224

MONTYON (Jean-Baptiste, Antoine, Auger, Baron de). 1733–1820. French philanthropist, Councilor of State, and founder of the famous “prizes for virtue” awarded by the Académie Française. Signed autograph letter, addressed to Monsieur de Malesherbes. June 6, 1787. 1 page, in-8. A letter written in the third person, in which Montyon sends Malesherbes documents relating to a lawsuit in which the latter is to serve as defense counsel. He expresses his confidence in the recipient, stating that “a good cause could not be in the hands of a better defender.” This document is of particular interest due to its recipient, Chrétien-Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, a major figure in the judiciary and political life under the Ancien Régime and the future defense attorney for Louis XVI, and for its illustration of the bonds of trust between high-ranking officials on the eve of the Revolution.