#carabinier

drew my new roblox avatar in draw & donate also I modelled the helmet myself bc there were no carabinier helmets on the catalog..

French Carabinier or Cuirassier Officers’ sword with ‘Garde de Bataille’ style hilt

The 'Garde de Bataille' or 'Battle Guard' sword hilt is believed to have been inspired by German sword designs of the mid-18th Century. It is around this time that sword hilts which incorporate a clam shell into the guard start to appear on French swords.

It was adopted in 1784 for use by officers of the heavy cavalry (Cuirassiers, Carabiniers). dragoons and Gendarmerie. For a brief period a version with a curved blade was approved for officers of the light cavalry.

With the clam-shell guard, smaller counter guard, knuckle bow with four side branches the Garde de Bataille is a very distinctive hilt and one of my top two favorite sword designs of this era (the British 1803 Pattern being the other).

This sword carries a long, heavy Solingen made blade that closely resembles the blade of the AN XI Sabre of the line (Cuirassiers), including its' hatchet tip. The sword handles like the AN XI, that is to say it is large and cumbersome, suitable for a mounted charge, but not something for a melee brawl. Furthermore there are four piercings in the guard where an emblem such as the flaming bomb would originally have been attached. This would have given us a solid clue as to the officers' branch of service, but alas it is lost.

In time I hope to find a replacement scabbard and emblem for the sword, because it deserves to look as original as possible.

Comparison alongside my other Garde de Bataille showing the difference in size between the two:

US Vogue March 15, 1956

Nina de Voogt wears a set, pleated skirt and bolero in black knitted cotton, over a sleeveless ruffled blouse in Reeves cotton. By Sportwhirl.By Sportwhirl, in Permathal treated cotton knit by Alamac. Black straw sailor hat wrapped in polka dots: this. by Sally Victor.

Nina de Voogt porte un ensemble, jupe plissée et boléro en coton tricoté noir, sur un chemisier à volants sans manches en coton Reeves. Par Sportwhirl.Par Sportwhirl, en tricot de coton traité Permathal par Alamac. Chapeau de marin en paille noire enveloppé de pois : ceci. de Sally Victor.

Transition uniforms of the trumpeters of the French Carabiniers, 1810. Plate by Rousselot

France, 1806