Dressed to Kill
February 2008
Few items are as evocative of the rise and fall of the Napoleonic legend as is Napoleonic armor. The production of French heavy cavalry armor followed the fortunes of the Napoleonic myth and those who are nostalgic for the folie de grandeur of Imperial France collect splendid Neoclassical armor worn by Napoleonic cuirassiers and Carabinier (elite cavalrymen), with a quasi-religious sense of devotion. The fine crested helmets and resplendent cuirasses of Napoleon’s Heavy Cavalry are fitting souvenirs of the Napoleonic bataille amusante (a battle fought with swords rather than bullets).Napoleonic armor has been meticulously researched and studied in France and Belgium because it symbolizes the most glorious days of French history. An impressive selection of virtually all known types of ensembles (helmet, with matching back and breastplates) are displayed at Les Invalides, and several French publications tackle the subject in a scholarly manner but there still appears to be a significant knowledge deficit relating to Napoleonic armor outside of France. French Revolutionary and First Empire pieces are very difficult to find outside of museums and complete ensembles seem to be more unique rather than rare, but some dealers and auctioneers outside of France seem to regularly fail to identify choice pieces.
The term “Napoleonic Armor” is loosely used in the trade to denote the magnificent ensembles, which were used from 1802 (at the time of Napoleon I) to 1871 (the fall of Napoleon III), but whereas a fine First Empire cuirass is worth well over $5,000 on the international market, a common Second Empire cuirass would sell for less than $2,000.
Four main cuirass types were in use during the First Empire. The earliest in use by Napoleon’s heavy cavalry were recycled late 18th century demi-cuirasses (breast plates without back plates) captured from the Prussian foe. The first “true French Napoleonic Cuirass” was the Model 1802 pattern, which had a distinctive V-shaped fork. The Model 1802 was improved in 1806 when the Model 1806 was introduced. The Model 1806 cuirass retained the strong medial ridge and bombé form of the earlier pattern, but the bottom of the plate was rounded at the fork. The fourth and last First Empire cuirass, worn at Waterloo, was the pigeon-breasted Model 1809, which was more compact and had a rounder profile than the quasi-identical earlier versions.
The Carabineers wore cuirasses, which were reinforced with brass plates. Officers often complained of high wastage in cuirasses during campaigns, and those who saw the cuirassiers in action recount that the first thing a wounded cuirassier would do would be to throw his heavy cuirass away. Many cuirasses must have been destroyed in combat. The attrition rate was extremely high in the Napoleonic cavalry, and this explains why there are very few First Empire pieces in circulation.
Some French armorers who received commissions from Napoleon’s War Department resumed their duties in Belgium after the fall of the Empire. The early Belgian cavalry re-used First Empire equipment and its facsimiles, and it is often difficult to distinguish late First Empire from early Belgian pieces. Doctored Belgian Model 1832 ensembles have been passed off as First Empire pieces, and only collectors who are familiar with the heavy gauge, armorer’s marks and chain-leather fastenings distinctive of Belgian armor would be able to tell pieces apart.
A new cuirass pattern (extremely similar to the Model 1812) without multiple brass rivets on the border went into production 10 years after Napoleon’s fall (the Model 1825 pattern). The Model 1825 was subsequently brought into use by the cavalry of Napoleon III and was successfully used in the Crimean War (1853–56).
By that time, Napoleon III was already experiencing folies de grandeur. He decreed a new set up of cuirass patterns, the “heroic” patterns of 1854 and 1855. The ensembles, which were introduced in 1854 and 1855, had a conspicuous “waspish” appearance. This was when the sought-after ensemble of the Cuirassiers de la Garde Imperiale came into being (a fine example sold for $5,575 on eBay in September 2007).
Model 1854 and Model 1855 ensembles were worn in the war that brought Imperial France to grief, the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. The Franco-Prussian War signaled the death knell of all Bonapartist and Imperial aspirations, but the French Armored Cavalry managed to distinguish itself even in such adverse circumstances. Napoleon III’s Cuirassiers and his Cuirassiers de La Garde Imperiale were mercilessly mowed down by Prussian mitraileusse at the Battle of Woerth in 1871, but their courage moved their Prussian enemies to tears.
All that remains today of the legendary Napoleonic “wall of steel” are the spoils of the armor worn by the emperor’s bravest of the brave and their tales of vainglory.
Robert Attard is the author of Collecting Military Headgear: A Guide to 5,000 years of Helmet History (Schiffer Books, 2004).
SOURCE LIST
Le Hussard, Armes Anciennes d’Origine, La Tour du Pan, Cedex, France
011.33.474.83.20.75 lehussard.fr
Lion Gate Arms & Armor Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz.
480.948.6348 antiqueswords.com
Michael D Long Ltd., Leicester, England
011.44.0845.260.1910 michaeldlong.com
Patrice Reboul, Paris
011.33.1.42.97.57.16 patrice-reboul.com
Aux Armes d’Antan, Paris
011.33.1.47.83.71.42 antikaparis.com/armesdantan/index.htm