December 10-13, 2024 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2024
Overall length: 37 3/8 in. with a blade 32 3/8 in. long by 13/16 in. W at ricasso. The overall form of this sword is directly copied from a French spadroon popular among French naval and military staff officers during the 1st Empire, with Imperial motifs replaced by those reflecting the republican United States. French-made swords gained great popularity with the outbreak of the War of 1812 and it is likely that this sword pattern was introduced by 1812, although in remained popular with US naval officer until the early 1820s. The blade has a single wide fuller and is decorated with gold highlighted etching on a blued field over the first 10 1/2 inches of the blade, including military panoplies and mystical and foliate motifs. This sword, almost certainly made in France for the American market, has an extremely handsome, gilded-brass hilt consisting of downturned half-clamshell guard with eagle quillon; a spread-wing American eagle with US shield on breast--its head surrounded by 17 stars--is superimposed over an anchor, with the flukes seen below; under each wing is a wreath of laurel encircling a "W"--almost certainly a tribute the George Washington; the bottom of crossguard is united with the scrolled end of the knucklebow, embellished with various classical motifs and the ovoid lozenge-shaped pommel features an American eagle on one side with 17 stars above and a shell & flourish motif on the other, its base and that of the ferrule behind the guard bearing surrounds of acanthus leaves; the four-faceted, ebonized wood grip is finely cross-hatched on the right and left face. CONDITION: blade has a bright finish with some random, dark spots of former oxidation, the etched portion retains vibrancy to the blueing and gilding, with some oxidation near the hilt. The hilt retains nearly all of its original gilded finish and details have remained exceptionally sharp, while there is light edge wear to the grip.