Silver Mounted King's Foot, Early 19th Century. Inches And Centimeters. Empire / Restoration

Very interesting ruler with two segments connected by a hinge, on the model of the Roy feet of the Ancien Régime.

The body of the ruler is made of iv 0ry, the ends and the hinge are covered with solid silver.

Two steel plates protect the very end of the branches to avoid too serious accidents in the event of the instrument falling.

The ruler is engraved with a double graduation, one on each side.
The first gradation on the edge is in cm, the second in inches of 2.707 cm. This is the inch of the Ancien Régime, subdivided from the Toise du Châtelet, created in 1668.

The meter was defined on March 26, 1791 as being one ten millionth of a quarter of the terrestrial meridian, the measurement was made official by a decree of August 1, 1793. A law of April 1795 - or 18 Germinal Year III - instituted the decimal metric system and prohibited any other unit of measurement.

In reality, the inch was still used unofficially, out of habit of the population. So much so that a decree of 1812 authorized the return to the old measures, but only for daily use and commerce.
A law of July 4, 1837 imposed the metric system definitively and the abandonment of the measurement in feet and inches. These different legal texts allow us to date this rule between 1791 and 1837, with a parenthesis between 1795 and 1812 when the thumb was officially forbidden.

The general shape of this "royal foot" is characteristic of 18th century instruments. It could date from the period 1791 - 1795 or 1812 - 1837. However, this example is a little finer than those of the Ancien Régime, there is no decorative engraving and the numbers are struck and not engraved. For these reasons, this tool can be dated between 1812 and 1837.

The silver parts are not hallmarked but have been tested with a touchstone.

This object is a beautiful testimony to the evolution of the measurement system after the French Revolution, carefully made in precious materials.
This is a very rare example that can be precisely dated, made over a short period.

Dimensions closed:
16.8 cm long with the hinge
1.7 cm wide
6 mm thick

Dimensions open:
32.6 cm long
0.9 cm wide excluding the hinge bead
6 mm thick

41.14 grams

Very good condition. Scratches from use and minimal deformation at the ends.

Hand delivery in Paris or insured Colissimo shipping.
France: €15
Europe: €20
World: €35