NCO SHAKO OF THE 3rd LINE INFANTRY REGIMENT, 1810 model modified 1812, First Empire. 29108
Black felt body measuring 19 cm in height. Crown made of waxed strong cowhide leather, with a diameter of 25 cm folded over the felt to a height of 3.5 cm. At the bottom of the felt, a plain cowhide leather cap band, 2.5 cm wide, is sewn, with a brass buckle and prong at the back, buckle height of 2.7 cm and width of 1.8 cm. Below this buckle, a single calfskin gusset is included to facilitate the cap band movement. A rounded visor made of varnished strong cowhide leather, 6.2 cm wide, is sewn at the front of the shako. A brass-stamped plaque (or badge) is affixed to the front, depicting a crowned imperial eagle clutching Jupiter's thunderbolt standing on a shield-shaped base with the number "3" stamped at the center, flanked by two lion heads, plaque height of 12 cm and width of 12.6 cm. A 1814 type tricolor cockade is placed above the plaque, painted leather fixed to the felt with a clip on each side, 7 cm in diameter with a red outer circle, white in the middle, and blue at the center. Below the cockade, a cartridge designed for the plume, attached by a stitch to the felt.
On each side of the shako, a chinstrap is placed, made of a double sheepskin strap on which 14 brass scales are mounted, cut in three scallops, plus a fifteenth one, circular in shape at the end. The first scale is 3.8 cm wide, the second slightly less, decreasing in width until the last one which is 2 cm wide. The chinstrap is fastened by a rosette, referred to in the 1812 regulation as a "big button" of the same metal as the chinstrap, with a diameter of 4 cm, struck at its center with a five-pointed star. Each chinstrap is finished with a canvas cord. Above the cockade, a round scarlet woolen pompon with dark green flame, 5 cm in diameter. Interior lining made of black waxed sheepskin cut into a six-pointed cap, NCO type.
The bottom of the crown bears an ink seal in the shape of an imperial eagle, most likely the mark of the leather supplier. There is also the trace of a large paper label that has disappeared, most likely the manufacturer's label of the shako.
France.
First Empire.
Good condition, 1810 shako with a change of plaque in 1812 during new assignment and 1814 cockade, visor split in the center at the front.
Reference :
29108