Drum Major's Sabre Of Foot Troops, Model Of December 10, 1851

Drum Major's Sabre of Foot Troops, model of December 10, 1851 (replaced December 2, 1852), Presidency of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. 32699. "Turkish" hilt. Short-tailed pommel, molded with flowers, rosettes, and acanthus leaves, with a lion's head lid. Wooden grip covered in leather with silvered copper wire inlay. Symmetrical crossguard molded in the center with a wreath of oak leaves upon which is placed an uncrowned imperial eagle with outstretched wings, plain on the reverse. Plain light cavalry blade with fullers and grooves, length 81.2 cm. Scabbard with a wooden stock sheathed in ornate brass, featuring stamped plates set in windows. The upper plate, flanked by two suspension hooks, is cast and chased with attributes: a shako with a plume, a drum, an oboe, amidst foliage and other arabesques. The scabbard is signed on the back of the chape "Manceaux / à Paris". Three reinforcing bands display a laurel wreath. The cast brass tip is chased on both sides with a lion's head on the outside. France. Presidency of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. Excellent condition; the sword retains all its original gilding, with slight rubbing at the scabbard hooks and on the back of the chape, and a small chip to the scabbard's throat.