HONOR GUARD BELT PLATE OF THE CITY OF BORDEAUX, First Empire. 26023

HONOR GUARD BELT PLATE OF THE CITY OF BORDEAUX, First Empire. 26023

In silver-plated brass, rectangular in shape, engraved in the center with the three crescents of the arms of the city of Bordeaux and the inscription "GUARD OF HONOR". It is complete with its trigger guard and its hook. H 6.7 cm, width 8.3 cm.

France.
First Empire.
Very good state.

COAT OF ARMS AND NUMBERS OF THE CITY OF BORDEAUX:
The coat of arms of Bordeaux, or coat of arms of Bordeaux, is a figurative and symbolic representation, the elements of which recall the history of the city of Bordeaux.
The first known coat of arms of Bordeaux dates back to the medieval era of Richard the Lionheart (Richard I of England). It features in particular the three lions of the Plantagenet family, which will gradually become identified as the coat of arms of England.
“Gules; to the open Big Bell, openwork and masonry of sand and surmounted by a gold leopard; to the azure sea, rippling with sand and silver, charged with a crescent also of silver; a chief Azure, seeded with France. »
- The “Big Bell”: representation of the towers of the old town hall, of which the Big Bell remains today.
- The “leopard”: in heraldry, the lion and the leopard designate the same animal, namely the lion, but with a different head position. With the head in profile it is emblazoned “lion”; with the head facing, it is emblazoned “leopard”. Here it is the lion of the Plantagenets, who became kings of England. During the English era (1154-1453), the coat of arms of Bordeaux included three lions, which are still found today in the English coat of arms. With the end of the French possessions of the King of England, following the Battle of Castillon in 1453, only one lion remains.
- The “azure sea rippled with sand and silver”: stylized representation of the Garonne.
- The "crescent": an allusion to the semi-circular shape of the port of Bordeaux, which is why it has been called the "Port of the Moon" since the Middle Ages.
- "Chief of azur semé de France": at the top of the coat of arms is represented the coat of arms of the King of France. This part was added after the English period, replacing two English lions.

Logotype, "small coat of arms" and "numeral" of Bordeaux.
The Bordeaux cipher, also called the “small coat of arms”, is a stylized representation that serves as a modernized signature, sometimes used instead of the coat of arms. It is formed by three intertwined crescent moons. It is not found before the middle of the 17th century. It appears, first, on the spine and the covers of the bindings of the prize books awarded by the College of Guyenne, and adorns, in the 18th century, the pediment of the Saint-Projet fountain (1715), then the fountain of the Serious (1788). Then it will be represented on many monuments and street furniture. This figure is today the symbol used for the logo of the city.
Regarding the origin and meaning of this symbol, there are many versions. For some, the three crescents represent the three curves of the Garonne in the agglomeration, or even the meeting of the Garonne, the Dordogne and the Gironde. For others, they would come from the arms of Diane de Poitiers or even the King of France Henri II.
More likely, these crescents originate from the one that appears alone on the city's coat of arms and which represents the Port of the Moon. As for the number three, according to the former mayor of Bordeaux Adrien Bayssellance, it is more likely a coincidence. The single crescent formed by itself too thin a decorative pattern and this drawback was remedied by the intertwining of three to gain aesthetic balance.