Luxury Saber Of An Officer Of The Bodyguards Of Jérôme Bonaparte, King Of Westphalia, First

Entirely in blackened and gilded steel.

Turkish guard, style also called "à la Marengo", cruise with inverted quillons, cruise knot of rectangular shape with two half-spherical lugs (the cruise knot and the lugs have a sandblasted bottom with a smooth framing rod) ; Crooked cap; guard branch replaced by a chain; fluted ebony rocket in the style of First Empire staff officer sabers. Total height of the guard 17.3 cm, width 16.1 cm, thickness at the level of the crown 3 cm.

Curved blade with a hollow side, back with three sides, it is gilded and blued on the first third, signed on the heel "Coulaux Frères Manufacture nationale de Klingenthal". Length 77.7 cm; heel width 3 cm, heel thickness 0.8 cm.

Weight of the saber without sheath 0.738 kilograms.

Curved sheath with two bail bracelets. Bracelets in the shape of the cruise (rectangle framed by two half-spherical lugs, sandblasted bottom and smooth framing strip) width 4.3 cm, height 5.15 cm, spherical bail eyelets, steel bail ring 3.3 cm in diameter (thickness of the ring 0.4 cm). Symmetrical dart height 7.8 cm, width 5.05 cm, maximum thickness 0.4 cm, minimum thickness 0.3 cm, it is terminated at its end by an olive height 0.8 cm, width 1.2 cm, thickness 1 cm. Sheath entirely lined with a double framing strip, one hollow with a sandblasted bottom and the second (on the outside) smooth and golden. Total length of the sheath 82 cm, width at the level of the sheath inlet bowl 4.4 cm, thickness 2.1 cm; weight 0.602 kilograms.

Total length of the weapon 98 cm; weight 1,340 kilograms.

Very good condition, coloring of the reconditioned steel.

Consulate First Empire period.

This saber could have belonged to Pierre CHABERT (1770-1839), officer in the guard of King Jérôme in 1809, then Aide de Camp until the end of the Empire, he became Major-General on September 4, 1810.

The collections of the Château de Versailles museum have a portrait signed François KINSON representing Jérôme BONAPARTE, King of Westphalia with his wife, he is in full uniform and carries a saber very similar to the saber that we present here.

Origin :

-Hotel Drouot March 12, 2004, number 232 of the catalog, expert Bernard CROISSY.

-Bertrand Malvaux

Description and photos Bertrand Malvaux