Men's Shoe Buckle Made Of Vermeil, First Empire Period

A rectangular, slightly domed men’s shoe buckle with generously rounded corners. The solid silver body is accented by an elegant vermeil border, creating a subtle contrast with the patinated steel mechanism inside.

The hinged central bar retains its clasp, its double curved prongs, and the two spikes designed to securely hold the shoe’s leather in place.

The buckle bears several French hallmarks, including the "second rooster" hallmark for the departments, guaranteeing silver of the second fineness—800/1000—used between 1809 and 1819. It thus belongs squarely to the era of the First Empire or the very early years of the Restoration.

With its simple, rectangular, and rounded shape, it bears a resemblance to the shoe buckles worn by Napoleon I on Saint Helena, now preserved at the National Museum of the Château de Malmaison. These feature a comparable design, deliberately understated and devoid of ostentatious ornamentation. This comparison is typological and does not, of course, imply imperial provenance.

France, 1809–1819.

Solid silver (second fineness), vermeil, and steel.

Dimensions: 5.5 × 3.8 cm.

In very good condition. Mechanism complete and functional; slight signs of use and occasional wear on the vermeil.

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