RING OF LOYALTY PRESENTED TO LOUIS FRANÇOIS XAVIER DULIÈGE D'AUNIS (or D'ARREST), LIGHT-HEADED OF THE KING'S MILITARY HOUSE, ON MAY 24, 1815, RESTORATION.
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LOYALTY RING GIVEN TO LOUIS FRANÇOIS XAVIER DULIÈGE D'AUNIS (or D'ARREST), LIGHT HORSEMAN OF THE KING'S MILITARY HOUSE, ON MAY 24, 1815, RESTORATION.
A 18-carat rose gold signet ring, with a smooth oval crown in slightly paler gold, displaying two crossed swords with the motto "Long live the king all the same!" on top. Engraved on the crown's thickness is "Gand, May 24, 1815" (the city is almost illegible). On the left side of the crown is the inscription "a dieu mon âme, mon cœur aux dames" (to God my soul, my heart to the ladies) in two lines; on the right side of the crown, also in two lines, "ma vie au roi, l’honneur à moi" (my life to the king, honor to me). Inside the ring is engraved "Duliège d'Aunis", along with the initials LMTPAF, and in the place corresponding to the crown, a heart-shaped shield with the capital letters representing the initials of members of the royal family: L. (Louis XVIII), M.T. (Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Angoulême), P. (Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans), A. (Antoine, Duke of Angoulême), F. (Ferdinand, Duke of Berry), C. (Charles, Count of Artois). Approximate weight is 3.6 grams, finger size of 65 mm, height of the ring with the crown approximately 27.5 mm.
In very good condition.
BIOGRAPHY:
Louis François Xavier Duliège d'Aunis (or Duliège d'Arrest), born on January 12, 1795 in Ballavesne, now part of Toeufles (Somme), died on August 1, 1851. Lieutenant in the company of the King's Light Horsemen, appointed Chevalier of the Legion of Honor on December 30, 1815.
HISTORY:
Facing the unexpected return of the Emperor to France in February 1815, Louis XVIII left Paris for Gand.
The rings with two swords motif:
The military personnel of the royal army who followed him to Belgium received a brevet signed by the Duke of Berry, confirming their participation in that army. The officers decided to have rings made bearing two crossed swords with the motto "my life to the king, my heart to the ladies." "This ring that has just been executed also contains the initials of the royal family: L, MT, P, A, F, C. (Louis XVIII, Marie-Thérèse Duchess of Angoulême, Louis-Philippe Duke of Orléans, Antoine Duke of Angoulême, Ferdinand Duke of Berry, Charles Count of Artois). The name of the person for whom it was made, along with the day and place where he crossed the border, is also engraved." Among the few known examples, the complete motto is always "a dieu mon âme ma vie au roi, mon cœur aux dames, l’honneur à moi." It was Mr. Brechemin, a jeweler at the Palais-Royal, gallery des Bons-Enfants, No. 128, who was entrusted with their crafting, keeping a register to prevent errors. These rings are only made or given upon presentation of the brevet.
• One ring belonged to Jacques Brasseur, conductor of the artillery train in the companies of the King's Guards. It is dated Gand, March 17, 1815, with the inscription inside "Brasseur Jacques artillery conductor of the royal guard," featuring a shield with the initials: L, M.T, P, A, F, C. This conductor was likely part of the artillery trains and their teams in the King's Guard companies.
• Another ring is dated March 25, 1815, with the crown being a small oval hinged box serving as a reliquary. It bears the inscription "Mis de Monpezat, Major Staff Officer of La Gre," and at the height of the crown, in a heart-shaped shield, the uppercase letters L. MT. P. A. F. Like another example from March 1815, belonging to Gérard de Contamine d’Arimont, King's Guard. On a ring of the same model from the Valles (or d’Hozier) family, the crown also forms a small reliquary box, dated "Ypres March 25, 1815."
• An example from the former Thierry Marais collection attributed to a King's Guard.
• Three other examples in private collections.
• An example attributed to G.M.G. Herman, with "GAND. May 3, 1815" around the crown.
• A ring given to Louis François Xavier Duliège d’Aunis (or d’Arrest), light horseman of the King's Military House, awarded on May 24, 1815 (private collection).
• A ring given to Ferdinand de Cacheleu (1784) King's Guard, at "GAND, May 28, 1815."
• A ring given to the knight de Canolle dated "Gand / March 1815," adorned in the background of the crown with a miniature of Louis XVIII.
• Two rings given to Viscount d’Hardouineau, aide-de-camp of Louis XVIII, King's Guard, one dated May 24, 1815, and the other May 25, 1815, at Ypres.
Custom rings for the King's House:
As stated by Gabriel Cottreau in 1904 in an article published in the La Sabretache magazine: "The Restoration is the only period in our history where military personnel were seen wearing rings commemorating their service in a unit or their participation in a campaign. This practice originated in the King's House and spread to the companies of the Red House: gendarmes, light horsemen, and musketeers, as well as in the company of cavalry grenadiers, mainly when these units were disbanded." Upon the disbandment of Louis XVIII's Red House, officers of the companies received, as a rallying symbol, a gold ring with the crown bearing the distinctive emblem of the company. Thus, the Musketeer rings featured the cross of each Company, with the number 1 or 2 in the middle of the cross; for the Gendarmes, Jupiter’s thunderbolt embellished with the company motto "Quo jubet iratus Jupiter”; for the Light Horsemen, the fleur-de-lis thunderbolt with the motto “Sensère Gigantes” below, and the company’s foundation date "1593"; the ring for the cavalry grenadiers was in silver or silver gilt with a flaming grenade. These rings are rare; thanks to the prestigious Raoul and Jean Brunon collections, acquired by the state in 1967, the Museum of the Army holds, in its collections, a cavalry grenadiers ring (currently on display at the Château de l'Empéri in Salon-de-Provence); a second ring was reproduced in the early notebooks of La Sabretache (possibly the same from the Brunon collection?). Gabriel Cottreau, in the article mentioned at the beginning of our text, writes: "It is a tradition in our paternal family, where we had a great-uncle musketeer in 1814 and 1815, that a few days before ending their service, the Musketeers were presented by their leaders to the Duchess of Angoulême to bid her farewell. During this audience, this princess, after expressing her satisfaction at being among true French knights, had trays loaded with silver rings brought and distributed to the Musketeers. My great-uncle was from the 2nd company, which would explain the metal of the ring still preserved by his descendants. The ring is plain, with a crown-shaped shield crown bearing fictional coat of arms whose meaning has always escaped us." Two others are known - those of the grenadiers Perrot, Delessert, and Galabert.
Lieutenant Colonel Titeux, in his History of the King's House, describes a ring that belonged to Count de Baillon, which is indeed identical to the ring presented in our catalog, with the ring's interior engraved with the initials "L.M.T.P.A.P.," and further down "Count de Baillon, Black Musketeer." Other identical examples belonging to the cavalry grenadiers include: J. Bondele (silver crown) and J. Galabert (silver gilt crown), a ring that belonged to Louis Mougin King’s Guard in 1822 with a copper crown. A bronze-gilt ring attributed to the cavalry grenadiers, with a circular crown adorned with a flaming grenade surrounded by the corps motto "Undique Terror, Undique Letum" (terror everywhere, death everywhere), flanked by two cartridges engraved with "Honneur" and "Fidélité," with the interior featuring a raised faith emblem, originating from the Canolle family.
SOURCES:
• History of the King's Military House, Eugène Titeux, Paris, 1890.
• Military Rings of 1815 and 1824, Gabriel Cottreau, La Sabretache Notebooks, Paris, March 1904.
• Rings in France throughout history, Maximin Deloche, Librairie de Paris, Firmin-Didot et Cie, 56 rue Jacob.
A 18-carat rose gold signet ring, with a smooth oval crown in slightly paler gold, displaying two crossed swords with the motto "Long live the king all the same!" on top. Engraved on the crown's thickness is "Gand, May 24, 1815" (the city is almost illegible). On the left side of the crown is the inscription "a dieu mon âme, mon cœur aux dames" (to God my soul, my heart to the ladies) in two lines; on the right side of the crown, also in two lines, "ma vie au roi, l’honneur à moi" (my life to the king, honor to me). Inside the ring is engraved "Duliège d'Aunis", along with the initials LMTPAF, and in the place corresponding to the crown, a heart-shaped shield with the capital letters representing the initials of members of the royal family: L. (Louis XVIII), M.T. (Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Angoulême), P. (Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans), A. (Antoine, Duke of Angoulême), F. (Ferdinand, Duke of Berry), C. (Charles, Count of Artois). Approximate weight is 3.6 grams, finger size of 65 mm, height of the ring with the crown approximately 27.5 mm.
In very good condition.
BIOGRAPHY:
Louis François Xavier Duliège d'Aunis (or Duliège d'Arrest), born on January 12, 1795 in Ballavesne, now part of Toeufles (Somme), died on August 1, 1851. Lieutenant in the company of the King's Light Horsemen, appointed Chevalier of the Legion of Honor on December 30, 1815.
HISTORY:
Facing the unexpected return of the Emperor to France in February 1815, Louis XVIII left Paris for Gand.
The rings with two swords motif:
The military personnel of the royal army who followed him to Belgium received a brevet signed by the Duke of Berry, confirming their participation in that army. The officers decided to have rings made bearing two crossed swords with the motto "my life to the king, my heart to the ladies." "This ring that has just been executed also contains the initials of the royal family: L, MT, P, A, F, C. (Louis XVIII, Marie-Thérèse Duchess of Angoulême, Louis-Philippe Duke of Orléans, Antoine Duke of Angoulême, Ferdinand Duke of Berry, Charles Count of Artois). The name of the person for whom it was made, along with the day and place where he crossed the border, is also engraved." Among the few known examples, the complete motto is always "a dieu mon âme ma vie au roi, mon cœur aux dames, l’honneur à moi." It was Mr. Brechemin, a jeweler at the Palais-Royal, gallery des Bons-Enfants, No. 128, who was entrusted with their crafting, keeping a register to prevent errors. These rings are only made or given upon presentation of the brevet.
• One ring belonged to Jacques Brasseur, conductor of the artillery train in the companies of the King's Guards. It is dated Gand, March 17, 1815, with the inscription inside "Brasseur Jacques artillery conductor of the royal guard," featuring a shield with the initials: L, M.T, P, A, F, C. This conductor was likely part of the artillery trains and their teams in the King's Guard companies.
• Another ring is dated March 25, 1815, with the crown being a small oval hinged box serving as a reliquary. It bears the inscription "Mis de Monpezat, Major Staff Officer of La Gre," and at the height of the crown, in a heart-shaped shield, the uppercase letters L. MT. P. A. F. Like another example from March 1815, belonging to Gérard de Contamine d’Arimont, King's Guard. On a ring of the same model from the Valles (or d’Hozier) family, the crown also forms a small reliquary box, dated "Ypres March 25, 1815."
• An example from the former Thierry Marais collection attributed to a King's Guard.
• Three other examples in private collections.
• An example attributed to G.M.G. Herman, with "GAND. May 3, 1815" around the crown.
• A ring given to Louis François Xavier Duliège d’Aunis (or d’Arrest), light horseman of the King's Military House, awarded on May 24, 1815 (private collection).
• A ring given to Ferdinand de Cacheleu (1784) King's Guard, at "GAND, May 28, 1815."
• A ring given to the knight de Canolle dated "Gand / March 1815," adorned in the background of the crown with a miniature of Louis XVIII.
• Two rings given to Viscount d’Hardouineau, aide-de-camp of Louis XVIII, King's Guard, one dated May 24, 1815, and the other May 25, 1815, at Ypres.
Custom rings for the King's House:
As stated by Gabriel Cottreau in 1904 in an article published in the La Sabretache magazine: "The Restoration is the only period in our history where military personnel were seen wearing rings commemorating their service in a unit or their participation in a campaign. This practice originated in the King's House and spread to the companies of the Red House: gendarmes, light horsemen, and musketeers, as well as in the company of cavalry grenadiers, mainly when these units were disbanded." Upon the disbandment of Louis XVIII's Red House, officers of the companies received, as a rallying symbol, a gold ring with the crown bearing the distinctive emblem of the company. Thus, the Musketeer rings featured the cross of each Company, with the number 1 or 2 in the middle of the cross; for the Gendarmes, Jupiter’s thunderbolt embellished with the company motto "Quo jubet iratus Jupiter”; for the Light Horsemen, the fleur-de-lis thunderbolt with the motto “Sensère Gigantes” below, and the company’s foundation date "1593"; the ring for the cavalry grenadiers was in silver or silver gilt with a flaming grenade. These rings are rare; thanks to the prestigious Raoul and Jean Brunon collections, acquired by the state in 1967, the Museum of the Army holds, in its collections, a cavalry grenadiers ring (currently on display at the Château de l'Empéri in Salon-de-Provence); a second ring was reproduced in the early notebooks of La Sabretache (possibly the same from the Brunon collection?). Gabriel Cottreau, in the article mentioned at the beginning of our text, writes: "It is a tradition in our paternal family, where we had a great-uncle musketeer in 1814 and 1815, that a few days before ending their service, the Musketeers were presented by their leaders to the Duchess of Angoulême to bid her farewell. During this audience, this princess, after expressing her satisfaction at being among true French knights, had trays loaded with silver rings brought and distributed to the Musketeers. My great-uncle was from the 2nd company, which would explain the metal of the ring still preserved by his descendants. The ring is plain, with a crown-shaped shield crown bearing fictional coat of arms whose meaning has always escaped us." Two others are known - those of the grenadiers Perrot, Delessert, and Galabert.
Lieutenant Colonel Titeux, in his History of the King's House, describes a ring that belonged to Count de Baillon, which is indeed identical to the ring presented in our catalog, with the ring's interior engraved with the initials "L.M.T.P.A.P.," and further down "Count de Baillon, Black Musketeer." Other identical examples belonging to the cavalry grenadiers include: J. Bondele (silver crown) and J. Galabert (silver gilt crown), a ring that belonged to Louis Mougin King’s Guard in 1822 with a copper crown. A bronze-gilt ring attributed to the cavalry grenadiers, with a circular crown adorned with a flaming grenade surrounded by the corps motto "Undique Terror, Undique Letum" (terror everywhere, death everywhere), flanked by two cartridges engraved with "Honneur" and "Fidélité," with the interior featuring a raised faith emblem, originating from the Canolle family.
SOURCES:
• History of the King's Military House, Eugène Titeux, Paris, 1890.
• Military Rings of 1815 and 1824, Gabriel Cottreau, La Sabretache Notebooks, Paris, March 1904.
• Rings in France throughout history, Maximin Deloche, Librairie de Paris, Firmin-Didot et Cie, 56 rue Jacob.
Reference :
13338
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