A Grognard - Bazin End Of The 19th Century Beginning Of The 20th Century.

DimensionsHeight: approx. 36 cmWeight: 3,631 gr. MaterialStamped copper, with a nuanced brown patina. SignatureSigned on the left side of the baseTitle on the front of the baseDated on the left side of the base.This beautiful copper bust with a nuanced brown patina, a perfect imitation of a bronze, represents a Grognard, Grenadier of the Imperial Guard of Napoleon I. His bear-hair cap (hence his nickname… bear-hair!), his beautiful mustache (obligatory, but shaved in the winter months), his long hair tied at the nape of the neck (most often the Grenadiers or Chasseurs of the Guard wore their hair in two braids on each side of the head), his weathered face and his sullen expression are the mark of these valiant soldiers, rough but whose unwavering attachment to their emperor was unconditional. The memory of the sculptor, whose first name and dates are unknown, has not come down to us, which does not detract from the artist's talent. One only has to observe the magnificent rendering of the face, each feature of which reveals the hard years spent on campaign. The Grognards had a particularly high rank in the Napoleonic armies. They belonged to the elite corps of soldiers of the Old Guard. They were the most experienced of the Grande Armée, but also the most loyal to the Emperor. However, these brave soldiers spent their time grumbling so much that the Emperor nicknamed them his Grognards, those who grumble. They grumble, yet they always follow the Emperor! In reality, they had little to grumble about, because their status as soldiers of the Old Guard earned them better pay, better food, and, in the field, the fact of being the first to be served! Faithful to the end, some of these Old (soldiers) of the Old (Guard) accompanied Napoleon in his exile on the island of Elba.
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