November 17, 2020 Early Arms & Militaria: Age of Exploration, Empire & Revolution
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/17/2020
"SABRE D'OFFICIER DES CHASSEURS À PIED DE LA GARDE IMPÉRIALE, PREMIER EMPIRE", 1804-1814. A rare and desirable example of officer's saber of the Chasseur a’ Pied of the French Imperial Guard with curved, single-edged blade with a narrow fuller and clipped point, 32-1/2" long and 1-3/16" wide at ricasso. The blade is decorated for approximately half its length with gilded etching on a blued ground; on the obverse face a centered panel with “CHASSSEURS A’ PIED”, with a similar panel on the reverse face bearing “HONNEUR ET PATRIE” [“Honor and Country”], both with flanking panoplies of arms, floral motifs, etc. On the obverse face near ricasso is a panoply with centered quiver upon which is etched “I. S. & C.” (Johann Schimelbusch & Company of Solingen; this mark noted on blades of various Year IX sabers). The stirrup-hilt is of gilded brass, with backstrap chiseled with acanthus leaves terminating in a pommel cap with pronounced capstan, decorated in relief with laurel leaves, while centered on the obverse langet of cruciform shape has an applied, “flaming bomb” device in cast-silver; the black leather-wrapped grip has spiral, grooved channels inset with a twisted, double-strand of brass wire. The saber when originally carried in the 1st Empire period would have had a cast-silver profile bust of Napoleon I set on the obverse langet, but it was replaced with a flaming bomb, signifying that the officer continued to use his sword in service of the Bourbon king during the Restoration, which has been observed on other Chasseur sabers of this pattern. The leather scabbard has gilt-brass mountings, consisting of an extended throat with frog stud and long chape with drag. CONDITION: Very good with approximately 70% of its original gilding and bluing remaining. JLK