Original French 2nd Empire Pattern 1845 La Garde Nationale Officer’s Shako with Chinscales & Shako Plate - National Guard
In stock
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Original Item: Only One available. This is an exceptional example of a French Model 1845 Officer’s Shako complete with ball tuft! The shako was originally worn by “D’Officier de la Garde Nationale de la 2eme Republique”, or an officer of the French National Guard as indicated by the shako plate depicting a rooster over laurels, and dated from the July Monarchy Period into the 2nd Empire. This model of shako was worn up until the adoption of the Model 1854 Shako, which featured a lower crown.
The shako is in very good condition for its age, but it is not without issues. The shako is constructed of a Beaver Pelt covered pasteboard body, with leather visor and crown. Around the crown is adorned with a red felt tresse. This example retains its original chinscales, which in this case is just a single piece of stamped metal which resembles chinscales over a leather strap. The ends of the strap are now broken so the two halves do not connect. The tresse has some minor material loss from where the cockade used to be, and there is some heavy wear overall, but this shako has survived very well.
The original leather liner is in good condition and retains all seven of its tongues, though there is heavy crazing and tearing. Someone has inserted a tall board around the interior of the body to help keep its shape. The lining shows signs of wear and deterioration here and there from age. We’ve seen examples of this model with a sweatband, and some with an actual liner, with the actual liner examples being more difficult to find. The helmet is missing the cockade and the tuft ball.
A very nice French Shako from the 2nd Empire, ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
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