Fireplace Plaque Bearing The Coat Of Arms Of Dom Lambert Lallemand, Abbot Of Orval (93x77 Cm)

A fireplace plaque in perfect condition, a 20th-century example of a plaque dated 1576 (1.5.7.6) bearing the arms of Dom Lambert Lallemand, or Abbot Lambert de Villiers, originally from Villiers-devant-Orval, the 36th Abbot of Orval from 1577 to 1588, marked DON LĀBERT / ABBE D'ORVAUX. The date of his investiture is disputed, but the plaque bears witness to it, as does the signature on the armorial of the Abbots of Orval (see our last photo). The appointment of a coadjutor, ratified by Philip II of Spain in 1586, was likely the occasion for an intrigue to force his resignation. Coat of arms: Argent, a bend gules, charged with three trefoil leaves or, accompanied in chief by a mullet of the same and in base by a blackbird sable. The shield is surmounted by a mitre superimposed on a crosier turned to the left, equipped with the sudarium. Its field is strewn with stars, trefoil leaves, and blackbirds. A similar plaque is displayed at the Orval Abbey Museum in Florenville, Belgium. Its weight is 137 kg. Bibliography: - Annals of the Archaeological Institute of Luxembourg, Volume 28, 1908, JB Sibenaler, p. 140/141, no. 66. - Hearthstones between the Meuse and Rhine rivers, Michel Rezette, 2025, Series of hearthstones dedicated to the abbots of Orval, p. 312, no. 3. - Annals of the Archaeological Institute of Luxembourg, 1997-1998, volumes 128-129, pp. 50-54. - The Luxembourg Communes, Em. Tandel, volume 3, 1890, pp. 1252-1253. - Publication of the Historical Section of the Grand-Ducal Institute of Luxembourg, volumes 89-91, 1975. You can visit our website: www.claudeaugustin.com