Grey Musketeer's Undercoat (1st Company) Of The King's Military Household, Model 1814

GREY MUSKETEER'S UNDER-JACKET (1st company) OF THE KING'S MILITARY HOUSE, 1814 model, RESTORATION. In dark blue cloth, edged with a double gold braid woven in the pattern of the uniform braids of the corps: an outer braid measuring 1.3 cm wide and a wider inner braid measuring 2.5 cm wide. The openings of the sleeves and the bottom of the under-jacket are trimmed with a dark blue cloth ruff edged with a folded gold braid sewn astride the outer edge. Width of the ruff 4.5 cm. Apparent width of the braid 0.5 cm. In the center of the front and back parts is sewn a large gold embroidery representing the cross of the Musketeers of the First Company, composed of: a cross ending at the four ends with a fleur-de-lys, each corner is trimmed with three flames in scarlet cloth edged with a rod embroidered in gold thread. H of the embroidered cross 26.2 cm, width 26.2 cm. Inner lining in gray silk. This undergarment closes on its right side by means of 12 black lacquered steel clasps fixed on the front part of the undergarment, and the same number of rings of the same metal fixed on the back part. It also closes on the right shoulder by means of 7 clasps identical to those on the side. Very good condition of conservation, some moth holes and tears restored, the braids have retained their original gilding with some traces of oxidation in places and mainly on the braid bordering the ruff, missing from the back braids in the lower part over 2 cm of width, gray silk lining stained and worn. France. Restoration. NOTE: The Musketeers' undergarments are very rare; there are only two examples in the collections of the Army Museum (one at the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris from the former DENIS collection, and one at the Château de l'Emperi from the Raoul and Jean BRUNON collections).