Original Items. One-of-a-Kind Set. This is an outstanding original French heavy cavalry cuirassier armor set consisting of matching-pattern front and rear plates joined by brass chain shoulder straps. The breastplate retains its prominent Second Empire eagle plate, while both armor plates bear clear manufacturing markings from the famous Manufacture Royale d'Armes de Klingenthal in Alsace, France. Established in 1730 under Louis XV, Klingenthal became one of France’s principal state arms manufactories and was responsible for the production of bladed weapons and military armor through the Napoleonic, Restoration, and later 19th-century periods.

The front plate is marked on the underside:

Manuf.re. R.le. de Klingenthal Jan 1831 1eT 1eL No. 635

Manufacture Royale de Klingenthal January 1831 1st Size 1st Width No. 635

The rear plate is marked on the underside:

Manuf.re. R.le. de Klingenthal 7bre 1833 1eT 1eL No. 2026

Manufacture Royale de Klingenthal September 1833 1st Size 1st Width No. 2026

The number at the end of each line is likely the serial number or rack number. The 1eT 1eL markings denote 1ère Taille (1st Size) and 1ère Largeur (1st Width). • French military armor was manufactured in standardized sizes based on the soldier's height. 1ère Taille was the largest size class, designated for the tallest troopers, same for 1ère Largeur.

The differing dates and numbers indicate that the two plates were not originally manufactured as a numbered matching pair, though both are correct Klingenthal-produced cuirass components of the same general type.

The brass chain shoulder straps are retained but the leather straps that are backing them are broken apart as shown, but you are still able to place the leather under for display. Please exercise caution when handling this set.

Both plates also have a few other small inspection or hallmark stamps in spots across the armor. The construction is entirely correct for the period, and this set will look outstanding in any French military collection.

French cuirassiers continued to wear traditional metal breast and back armor into the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, one of the final major European conflicts in which armored heavy cavalry was committed in large-scale shock action. France fielded eleven cuirassier regiments at the beginning of the war. Although elements of the arm had served during the Crimean War, French cuirassiers had seen comparatively little recent battlefield action before their commitment against Prussian forces.

During the Franco-Prussian War, French cuirassiers took part in several major mounted attacks, most notably at Frœschwiller-Wœrth and Rezonville-Mars-la-Tour, where massed cavalry charges were launched against increasingly effective infantry and artillery fire. These actions demonstrated both the continued prestige of the cuirassier arm and the growing limitations of traditional heavy cavalry tactics on a battlefield increasingly dominated by rifled firearms and modern artillery. Losses were severe, and the tactical results were generally limited.

This set is particularly significant for the combination of its clearly dated Klingenthal manufacture markings, standardized French military sizing designations, surviving chain shoulder straps, inspection stamps, and Second Empire eagle plate. Together, these features illustrate the long service life of French cuirassier equipment from the Bourbon Restoration through the Second Empire and into the era of the Franco-Prussian War, making the set an important surviving example of 19th-century French heavy cavalry armor.