Bride Morses And Pair Of Straps Attributed To Maréchal Moncey, First Empire.

BRIDE BITS AND PAIR OF STRETCHERS ATTRIBUTED TO MARÉCHAL MONCEY, First Empire. 0802/04/2

BRIDE BITS.
Bridle bits of the so-called "pigeon-groove" shape. The barrels, made of blued steel, are almost straight from the bottom of the spindles to the heels, to provide more accurate support on the bars. The arms are of cast brass, richly chased and gilded with mercury on the outside with a series of palmettes and acanthus leaves. At the top, the branch forms a banquet with a rectangular "banquet eye" opening.
The branch is oval at the barrel level, forming a boss with a wide guilloche molding molded with acanthus leaves; the central part, which clips onto the barrels, is oval and depicts the head of a bearded warrior. The lower end, or bottom of the branch, ends in an upside-down heart-shaped opening, usually referred to as "the gargoyle" (it is used to buckle the cane holders when their rings break). The underside of the gargoyle is molded in the shape of a mythological monster's head, with a hole to receive the reels of reeds with their rings; the rear end of the gargoyle has a hole for a lower curb chain. At the top, below the banqueting eye, the branch is pierced with a hole to accommodate a hook for attaching the upper curb chain. Gilded brass curb chains.
Branch length 16.2 cm, width of inner mouthpiece 11.5 cm, width of bit at mouthpiece (outer) 13.5 cm.

PAIR OF Stirrups.
Chased and gilded cast bronze. Stirrup body decorated on each branch with laurel and acanthus leaves. At the top, the branches form an eye decorated in relief with scrolls and acanthus leaves. Stirrup base made of two circles, outer circle Ø 8.7 cm, inner circle Ø 4.8 cm. Floor height 1.2 cm. Upper part of the floors guilloché with external moldings decorated with a series of XXXXXX framed by beaded baguettes.
H of the stirrups 13.8 cm.

France.
First Empire.
Perfect condition, the bridle bit has retained its original bluing at the level of the barrels, the bronzes have retained all their original gilding.

PROVENANCE:
Former Pierre Benoît collection.

BIOGRAPHY:
Bon-Adrien Jannot de Moncey, Duc de Conegliano, born July 31, 1754 in Moncey, Doubs, France, and died April 20, 1842 in Paris, was a French general of the Revolution and a Marshal of the Empire. The name Moncey comes from a hamlet the family bought from the Marquis de Cheylard in 1789. In the Grande Armée, Marshal Moncey was nicknamed "Fabius".