"lictor’s Fasce" Emblem In Baccarat Crystal.

"Lictor’s Fasce" emblem in Baccarat crystal.

A lictor’s fasce, crafted in Baccarat crystal and sandblasted into the shape of a heraldic shield. The design is intaglio-engraved (carved into the reverse side) by an artisan from the Baccarat crystal works. It features a double-headed axe and a bundle of wooden rods, bound together at the top and bottom.
In ancient Rome, lictors were officers who accompanied magistrates. They wore this attribute to symbolize their power of coercion and punishment.
The fasces consists of a bundle of wooden rods, used for corporal punishment, and an axe, representing the power to carry out capital punishment.
Revived in 1790 by the Constituent Assembly to embody the unity and strength of the united people.
Today it is surrounded by oak branches (symbol of justice) and olive branches (symbol of peace), with a shield bearing the initials RF (French Republic).
Although it doesn't have an explicit constitutional status, it appears on many administrative documents, passports, as well as in the symbolism of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Presidency of the French Republic.

Measurements: approximately 4.5 cm x 3 cm (1.77" x 1.18").
Badge not stamped, too old to be.