251 - United States, Civil War (1861–1865).

United States, Civil War (1861–1865). Officer’s sword. Gilded cast brass mount; pommel stamped with an oval on a radiating background; crossguard decorated with a beaded band and chiseled with acanthus leaves in the center. Wooden tang inlaid with mother-of-pearl plates on all four sides and a beaded gilt-bronze molding at the four corners. Symmetrical guard, richly carved and openworked with an American eagle. Scarlet wool scabbard strap present. Beautiful white, three-edged blade decorated with acid-etched arabesque designs. Black leather scabbard with a central back seam and two gilt-bronze fittings that are cut and chiseled; the pommel features a button. No manufacturer’s mark or hallmark. In its original condition as found; never previously part of a collection. 90.5 cm (Blade 75.5 cm). (Signs of wear and normal use; the tip of the scabbard and the pommel are missing; 20 cm missing. A beautiful sword, not commonly seen. In good condition). Provenance: Owned by Anatole FRANCE (1844–1924), “La Bechellerie” in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire 37540, Indre-et-Loire (Dept. 37). Anatole FRANCE resided there from 1914 to 1924. He purchased it in October 1916. Note: French privately manufactured sword commissioned for a foreign contract, modeled after the swords used by civil servants of the Second Empire (1852–1870).