Nicolas Noël BOUTET, artistic director of the Manufacture de - Lot 129

Nicolas Noël BOUTET, artistic director of the Manufacture de Versailles. Project for a dignitary's battle saber or "forte épée" with the numeral "B". Spindle entirely filigree with triple silver filigree. Blued steel ferrule decorated with lattice work and foliage. Mounting in blued and gilded steel. Engraved and gilded skirted cap with foliate scrolls, linked to the guard arm by a palmette extended by a round motif adorned with a gilded bronze half-round motif representing the god Apollo. Chased ormolu guard representing a palm tree. Openwork shell, partly gilded, representing a hydra with four gilded heads, two of which have gilded bodies. Two of the hydra's heads are leonine, one holding a trident and the other holding a shield with a gilded "B". The shield top is decorated in gold with a spider's web and friezes. Short quillon slightly curved downwards, ending in a panelled knob. 13 x 10 cm. Directoire - Consulate period. Provenance : -Private collection. Condition report: -The mounting of this strong sword has not been finished: the circumference of the shield is not fully gilded, the motif to the right of the shield and the right circumference of the shield are missing, the riveting of the guard branch is rough and the remainder of the shell is held to the guard in the old fashioned way (wire). The counterguard is missing and the quillon is without a palmette. The ungilded blued-iron parts are in average condition, with a strong crusty oxidation patina. Nevertheless, all the fittings have been finely engraved and chased. -The gilded bronze parts, including the palmette guard branch, are in good condition, with high quality chasing. History: Our sword hilt is exceptional in many ways. First of all, this model of sword, known as a "forte épée", is particularly rare. Only a handful of examples are known, all attributed to prominent figures and signed by the Manufacture de Versailles on the scabbard: -The battle saber attributed to Grand Admiral Joachim Murat sold on Thursday May 30, 2024, Giquello et associés, n°6, expert Bertrand Malvaux. -Emperor Napoleon I's saber commemorating the Italian campaigns and the Battle of Marengo, presented to his adopted son Prince Eugène, Hermitage Museum collection (Saint Petersburg, Russia). As we can see, these strong swords were only made for the Emperor or those close to him, so we can assume that the number B is that of Bonaparte, then First Consul. In the absence of archives from the Manufacture de Versailles for this period, we can only guess at the reasons why this project was abandoned. The advent of the Empire (and therefore the abandonment of the B numeral) or the disagreement of the recipient of this saber could be considered. Bibliography -Maurice BOTTET, "Nicolas BOUTET et la Manufacture de Versailles", Grancher Éditeur, Figure V. -" Paris- St Pétersbourg 1800-1830. Quand la Russie parlait français...", Interros, 2003, figure 171 Expert: Arnaud de Gouvion Saint-Cyr Expert in military and historical memorabilia, antique weapons and orders of chivalry. Member of the Syndicat français des experts professionnels. 06.70.75.01.05