#french cavalry

[cl1nically-rot]

More studies :]

[redarmyscreaming]

Uniform of French Hussar, 1914.

[pulpsandcomics2]

Jose Luis Salinas

[catacombescapitaine]

Sharpe remembering to post again yay. Everyone say hi to my gnb cuirassier oc Christopher. All the budget went to him I can’t draw horses

[ripstefano]

A Cavalry Officer (1887)

Jean-Baptiste Édouard Detaille (French, 1848 - 1912)

[scienceoftheidiot]

Some more pics from last week's reenactment gig, 1914 French cuirassier (Benj), dragoon (me on both pictures, and the red mane helmet) and hussard (last pic with the blue hat).

Cuirassier and dragoon are heavy cavalry and thus wear dark blue pea jackets, hussard is light cavalry and thus wears light blue (can be seen on the background in the last picture, a chasseur, which is light cavalry too).

[davidcashuk]

The French Heavy Knight is unstop....

[blue-and-gilt]

Referred to as the ‘Côtes de Melon’, after the distinctive pommel shaped like the ‘ribs of the melon’. This sabre style gained popularity among French officers from about 1800 and remained in use until the introduction of the model 1821 infantry and 1822 cavalry sabres during the Restoration era. 

Aside from the pommel, the type is distinguished by the simple stirrup hilt with langets and a single quillion. The grips are made from hardwood and can be checkered or have longitudinal groves. Often the knuckle guard has a stylised olive decorative feature. Swords belonging to superior officers would have been silver-plated. 

The swords of mounted or cavalry officers can be identified by their length and dual suspension rings on the scabbard. Superior officers typically had ornate metal scabbards, while infantry officers preferred shorter sabres with a frog stud for use with the cross-belt.

An officer of one of the light cavalry regiments most likely owned this sabre. The blade is particularly large and sturdy, plus the scabbard has dual suspension rings. The blade is decorated in the typical oriental fashion of the late 18th Century with faux Islamic / cabalistic script and an ‘Ottoman’s head’. There is a lovely Solingen rose on the blade's spine but no other identifying manufacturer's marks.

The simple ‘baguette’ shaped langets, blade decorations and plain knuckle guard may indicate that this is an early example of the type, or that it was used by an officer of another nation, imitating French fashion.

Overall Length: 965 mm

Blade Length: 825 mm

Grip Length: 130 mm

Inside Grip Length: 110 mm

Sword Weight: 800 grams

Total Weight: 1050 grams

Point of Balance: 180 mm

Curve: 37 mm