Saber Of The Gendarmes Of The King's House

Gilt brass hilt with openwork shell guard, crosspiece with langets, thumb rest shaped as a shell with quillons, shell-shaped pommel, and wooden grip bound with silver wire filigree decorated with stamped “girolles” (rosettes) in braid.

Scabbard of leather with gilt brass fittings, the locket fitted with a strong hook adorned with a shell.

Straight blade, 90 cm long, with back edge, fullers, and gutters, marked Du Croux, Cutler on the Place du Pont St. Michel in Paris.

On each side, in capital letters: “GENDARMES-DE-LA-GARDE-DU-ROY”, the inscription blued and highlighted in gold.

Excellent state of preservation: the hilt retains nearly all of its original gilding, the blade is in exceptional condition, the original wire binding is loosened but intact, and the original leather has been nourished.

The equipment of this elite troop was extremely luxurious. Their breastplate cuirass was of burnished iron inlaid with gold. Their campaign coat was of red cloth with black velvet lapels and cuffs, and the cloak was red with black velvet facings. This uniform was altered in 1770 and further enriched with additional gold and velvet ornamentation.

A saber in this condition is of exceptional rarity, especially since at the time this saber was issued, the company—fifty men and ten officers strong—was permanently disbanded in 1787, along with the rest of the French Gendarmerie. This explains the extraordinary state of preservation of this piece.

Michel Pétard, the foremost specialist on the subject, describes this saber in his work “Sabers and Swords – Mounted Troops from Louis XIV to the Empire, vol. I”, pages 70–71, fig. 50S, as follows:

“Highly evocative of the extreme richness of the uniforms of this privileged company, this saber bears the mark of new stylistic tendencies appearing here and there during the Seven Years’ War. It was very likely in 1762, with the renewal of the company’s uniform, that this weapon was introduced. The earliest known specimen bears the inscription of ‘Maupetit, Merchant Supplier to the King’s Household, near the Pont St. Michel in Paris’.

Gilt brass hilt with openwork shell guard, crosspiece with langets, thumb rest with shell and quillons, shell-shaped pommel, and wooden grip bound with silver wire filigree decorated with stamped braid. Leather scabbard with gilt brass mounts, the locket fitted with a strong hook adorned with a shell. Straight blade of 90 cm with back edge, fullers, and gutters; the example marked Maupetit bears the “grape cluster” hallmark. On each side we find in capitals ‘GENS-D’ARMES-DE-LA-GARDE-DU-ROY’, blued and gilt.

Later productions differed only slightly in engraving, with the name of another cutler appearing: ‘Du Croux, Cutler on the Place du Pont St. Michel in Paris’, who mounted a blade inscribed with the Mark of the Fly from Solingen. Some blades also came from Klingenthal, as shown by the crowned “R” inspection mark instituted in 1756. This weapon disappeared along with the institution itself on September 30, 1787.”