OFFICER'S HELMET OF THE KING'S HOUSEHOLD GENDARMES 1814 belonging to COUNT DURFORT
Sold out
OFFICER'S HELMET OF THE GENDARMES OF THE KING'S HOUSE 1814 BELONGING TO COUNT DURFORT
The officer's helmets of the King's Guard Gendarmes of 1814 are known to exist in only a few examples, with only three known to me: one at the Army Museum, another at the Historical Museum of Lorraine (Ducal Palace), and a third in a private collection. The main difference from the trooper's helmet lies essentially in the visor, which is not leather bound but made of gilded brass edged with intricately chiseled foliage.
I have published two articles in the TRADITION magazine dedicated to this helmet model: one for the trooper's helmet and the other for the officer's helmet.
The helmet presented today is the helmet of the Captain-Lieutenant, Count Etienne de Durfort. It possesses the characteristics of an officer's helmet but with additional embellishments.
It is worth noting that we are aware of a fifth officer's helmet in a private collection, which features more ornate decorations and is perfectly authentic. The helmet consists of a single molded piece of hot black varnished leather with all fittings in gilded brass. On each side of the helmet, a flaming thunderbolt is affixed, from which lightning emanates (the helmet has slightly deteriorated over time and has been reinforced at the level of the chinstrap rosettes).
The front plate depicts the Arms of France against a background of smoke and lightning, topped with the royal crown. Below there is a flaming thunderbolt, and at the bottom, a ribbon with the relief inscription of the Gendarmes de la Garde's motto "QUO JUBET IRATUS JUPITER" - "Where Angry Jupiter Orders" or "In the direction indicated by an angry Jupiter." It is adorned at the bottom with a gilded brass festooned rim that no other known helmet possesses. The back band lacks decoration. The gilded brass visor is encircled by a rim folded over the outer edge and fully chiseled with laurel leaves.
The nape guard is leather bound with a gilded brass rim folded over the outer edge. The chinstrap with a scaled chinpiece features round rosettes stamped not with the traditional Medusa head but with a very high-quality lion's head (the velvet of one chinstrap has been replaced in the past). It has a finely decorated round plume holder. The crest bears a series of diminishing thunderbolts toward the back, festooned at the top. The black horsehair mane is styled in a brush-like fashion. The deteriorated inner lining is made of leather and silk.
Upon the disbandment of the King's House, Count de Durfort, Captain-Lieutenant of the Gendarmes, was entrusted with the task, as head of the first of the four Red Companies, to deliver the protest of the Companies to the King. He was commissioned by the King to organize the disbandment.
As of today, six examples of the superior officer's helmets of the King's Guard Gendarmes 1814 are known:
- one at the Army Museum, Hôtel des Invalides in Paris.
- one at the Historical Museum, Ducal Palace in Nancy.
- four examples in private collections, one of which contains fantasy elements in the decoration. I have published two articles in the TRADITION magazine dedicated to this helmet model: one for the trooper's helmet and the other for the officer's helmet.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Gendarmes are one of the oldest corps of the French Army, and to reward their bravery, Henri IV selected two hundred of them to form his personal guard. Subsequently, this new corps was placed at the service of the Dauphin, with the title of "Company of Gendarmes of the ordinances of Monsieur le Dauphin." Under the reign of Louis XIII, the Gendarmes took the lead of the Military House by decree on April 29, 1611.
In 1814, the Gendarme Guard Company is composed of a headquarters and two squadrons, each divided into two brigades. In total, the company comprises thirty-seven officers, two hundred Gendarmes, and two hundred supernumerary Gendarmes (the full complement of the Company was never reached). The Captain-Lieutenant is Count Etienne de Durfort.
- Prototyped Helmet Not Adopted
At the start of the Corps organization, there was uncertainty on the helmet model to be adopted. In his work "The King's Military House 1814-1830," Eugène Titeux specifies the existence of an unadopted project, consisting of a black leather helmet with silver-plated fittings. This prototype, although roughly described, is not unknown to us, as it will be used by the National Guard on horseback. The royal museum possesses a helmet of this type from the Titeca collection (reference I48) preserved at the Royal Museum of the Army in Brussels, Belgium. The varnished leather helmet with copper-plated silver fittings is endowed on each side with a flaming thunderbolt from which lightning emerges. The front plate is stamped with the Arms of France surrounded by two laurel branches. The leather visor is encircled by a metal rim. The nape guard is leather. The chinstrap features movable scaled chinpieces, the rosette shaped like a sun with a fleur-de-lis at the center. The crest decoration is unknown, probably stamped with gadroons (as was the case for the National Guard)? The crest is topped with a black hair crest.
The officer's helmets of the King's Guard Gendarmes of 1814 are known to exist in only a few examples, with only three known to me: one at the Army Museum, another at the Historical Museum of Lorraine (Ducal Palace), and a third in a private collection. The main difference from the trooper's helmet lies essentially in the visor, which is not leather bound but made of gilded brass edged with intricately chiseled foliage.
I have published two articles in the TRADITION magazine dedicated to this helmet model: one for the trooper's helmet and the other for the officer's helmet.
The helmet presented today is the helmet of the Captain-Lieutenant, Count Etienne de Durfort. It possesses the characteristics of an officer's helmet but with additional embellishments.
It is worth noting that we are aware of a fifth officer's helmet in a private collection, which features more ornate decorations and is perfectly authentic. The helmet consists of a single molded piece of hot black varnished leather with all fittings in gilded brass. On each side of the helmet, a flaming thunderbolt is affixed, from which lightning emanates (the helmet has slightly deteriorated over time and has been reinforced at the level of the chinstrap rosettes).
The front plate depicts the Arms of France against a background of smoke and lightning, topped with the royal crown. Below there is a flaming thunderbolt, and at the bottom, a ribbon with the relief inscription of the Gendarmes de la Garde's motto "QUO JUBET IRATUS JUPITER" - "Where Angry Jupiter Orders" or "In the direction indicated by an angry Jupiter." It is adorned at the bottom with a gilded brass festooned rim that no other known helmet possesses. The back band lacks decoration. The gilded brass visor is encircled by a rim folded over the outer edge and fully chiseled with laurel leaves.
The nape guard is leather bound with a gilded brass rim folded over the outer edge. The chinstrap with a scaled chinpiece features round rosettes stamped not with the traditional Medusa head but with a very high-quality lion's head (the velvet of one chinstrap has been replaced in the past). It has a finely decorated round plume holder. The crest bears a series of diminishing thunderbolts toward the back, festooned at the top. The black horsehair mane is styled in a brush-like fashion. The deteriorated inner lining is made of leather and silk.
Upon the disbandment of the King's House, Count de Durfort, Captain-Lieutenant of the Gendarmes, was entrusted with the task, as head of the first of the four Red Companies, to deliver the protest of the Companies to the King. He was commissioned by the King to organize the disbandment.
As of today, six examples of the superior officer's helmets of the King's Guard Gendarmes 1814 are known:
- one at the Army Museum, Hôtel des Invalides in Paris.
- one at the Historical Museum, Ducal Palace in Nancy.
- four examples in private collections, one of which contains fantasy elements in the decoration. I have published two articles in the TRADITION magazine dedicated to this helmet model: one for the trooper's helmet and the other for the officer's helmet.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Gendarmes are one of the oldest corps of the French Army, and to reward their bravery, Henri IV selected two hundred of them to form his personal guard. Subsequently, this new corps was placed at the service of the Dauphin, with the title of "Company of Gendarmes of the ordinances of Monsieur le Dauphin." Under the reign of Louis XIII, the Gendarmes took the lead of the Military House by decree on April 29, 1611.
In 1814, the Gendarme Guard Company is composed of a headquarters and two squadrons, each divided into two brigades. In total, the company comprises thirty-seven officers, two hundred Gendarmes, and two hundred supernumerary Gendarmes (the full complement of the Company was never reached). The Captain-Lieutenant is Count Etienne de Durfort.
- Prototyped Helmet Not Adopted
At the start of the Corps organization, there was uncertainty on the helmet model to be adopted. In his work "The King's Military House 1814-1830," Eugène Titeux specifies the existence of an unadopted project, consisting of a black leather helmet with silver-plated fittings. This prototype, although roughly described, is not unknown to us, as it will be used by the National Guard on horseback. The royal museum possesses a helmet of this type from the Titeca collection (reference I48) preserved at the Royal Museum of the Army in Brussels, Belgium. The varnished leather helmet with copper-plated silver fittings is endowed on each side with a flaming thunderbolt from which lightning emerges. The front plate is stamped with the Arms of France surrounded by two laurel branches. The leather visor is encircled by a metal rim. The nape guard is leather. The chinstrap features movable scaled chinpieces, the rosette shaped like a sun with a fleur-de-lis at the center. The crest decoration is unknown, probably stamped with gadroons (as was the case for the National Guard)? The crest is topped with a black hair crest.
Reference :
21
Next update Friday, december 27th at 1:30 PM
FOR ALL PURCHASES, PAYMENT IN MULTIPLE CHECKS POSSIBLE
bertrand.malvaux@wanadoo.fr 06 07 75 74 63
An authenticity certificate of the item including the description published on the site, the period, the sale price, accompanied by one or more color photographs is automatically provided for any item priced over 130 euros. Below this price, each certificate is charged 5 euros.
Only items sold by me are subject to an authenticity certificate, I do not provide any expert reports for items sold by third parties (colleagues or collectors).