Silver smallsword, Inspecteur aux Revues, French (c 1805-09)

Title	Silver smallsword, Inspecteur aux Revues
Nationality	French
Period	c 1805-09
Price	£1200.00

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This sword, dating from 1805-09, would have been carried by an Inspecteur aux (or 'des') Revues (the equivalent of Commissary in the British Army), responsible for pay, provisions (hence the ears of wheat on the guard and knuckle bow) and the depot system. Before this, they simply carried an ordinary infantry sword. The sword is rare.

This sword, which is hallmarked on the knuckle bow as .800 silver for the Paris Provinces c 1798-1809, has had a fairly hard life. It has had a small repair to the guard and some old bruising from service wear. There is an old zig zag silver test scratch to the base of the guard. The wiring to the grip, although original, is now slightly misshapen as the wood has shrunk over the years leaving the wiring somewhat loose.

There is an old collector's mark in white paint at the forte of the blade, with the number 371 over the initials JKL.

The triangular hollow ground blade (32.5 inches long) is typical of early 19th-century smallsword blades. There is some gilding extant on the decoration on the base of the forte, but any other gilding and blueing has vanished. The patina on the blade is a dull grey with a lacquered finish, which I have deliberately left for ease of handling the weapon.

Very few Napoleonic small swords had silver mounts, the bulk of them being ormolu over a bronze frame or, in some cases, silver plate.

If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.

[Edged Weapons : Swords : French : 19th Century]

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