| 161 A helmet M 1814 for an officer of the Mousquetaires de la garde, 1st Compagnie „Mousquetaires gris“ The high skull made of two silver-plated copper sheets with the round front and rear visors, complete with all mounts in gilt brass. On the front, the beautifully gilt, special emblem for the Musketeers of the 1st Company, the cross fleury with flames in a round shield of gilt brass, a silver-plated, chequered cross at the centre. The emblem is surrounded by finely crafted oak and laurel leaves. Large, multi-part chinscales with black velvet underlay on large rosettes in the shape of an exploding grenade with flames and thunderbolts. High gilt comb with relief decoration on the side in the form of a flaming torch, from which lightning strikes. On the front, the grenade symbol with the motto of the 1st Company „Quo ruit et Lethum“ („Where it falls, there is death.“ - the grenade represented the troops that brought death), above which three Bourbon fleur-de-lys on the rounded upper edge. Particularly long tail of black horsehair, the socket on the left side and the original black and white plume of real heron‘s feathers. A broad, blackened leather sweatband with dark grey silk lining stitched on the inside. Size approximately 56. Marginally damaged in places, signs of age and wear. Extremely rare helmet in immaculate condition that would grace any museum collection. The Musketeers of the Guard (Mousquetaires de la garde) were a unit of the French king‘s household troops (Maison militaire du roi) and served as palace guards. They were made famous by the novel „The Three Musketeers“ by Alexandre Dumas and its film adaptations. They existed with interruptions from 1622 until 1815. Traditionally, they consisted of two companies, the first of which, the „Grey Musketeers“, were based in the rue de Bac and the second, the „Black Musketeers“, in the rue du Faubourg in Paris. The guard corps were disbanded in 1792, during the French Revolution, and re-instituted by Louis XVIII in June 1814. The Musketeers were dissolved by Napoleon again soon afterwards, in March 1815. After Napoleon was defeated, they were re-established for a short period but then disbanded for the final time in December 1815. 326630 II + € 28.000
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