Naval officer’s sabre, Prairial model, Year XII.

Mount in gilded, chiselled brass and ebony.
Oval pommel decorated with a floral wreath; the joint ring is pierced to allow the strap to pass through and is chiselled with a stylised acanthus leaf motif.
Crossguard with a cartouche depicting an allegory of the navy and a half-ear-shaped crossguard with a radiating sun.
Curved quillon with a lion’s head.
Ebony tang with a rudentate pattern.
Curved Solingen blade with a groove engraved one-third of the way along (blunted).
Scabbard with a wooden core covered in shagreen (probably composite).
Pommel with double hooks depicting Melusine of Lusignan (repair likely due to the presence of a gusset button) and a spider’s web.
Simple guard decorated with a rope motif.
France, First Empire period.
Total length: 88 cm.

Expert: Alban Degrave