40 - A rare halberd of the Swiss Guard for the Royal Palace service

A rare halberd of the Swiss Guard for the Royal Palace service dating: 18th Century provenance: Piedmont, Double-edged, undulated cusp (small missing part) with slightly pronounced central rib, resting on a moulded neck; hollow-edged axe with undulated back; on the other side, the rear fluke featuring long, diverging appendages. The center of crossguard is engraved with the Savoy coat of arms within a collar formed of Savoy knots, on both sides. Two-stade ferrule; the upper part is of oval section, the lower part octagonal and numbered "57". Long, flat, original straps. Fine octagonal wooden shaft, richly decorated with Savoy cross-shaped studs and hemispherical rivets, all in brass. bullette? The Swiss Guards of the House of Savoy were the sovereign’s personal guard. Established in 1579 by Emanuele Filiberto, they were modelled on the French "Cent-Suisses". Unlike the Swiss regular infantry regiments, they did not fight; their role was to provide representation. The halberdiers’ company was disbanded in 1798 and again in 1811 during the Napoleonic occupation, but was reorganised by Victor Emmanuel I in 1814. It was finally abolished by Charles Albert in 1831. They stood guard in the Hall of the Swiss Guards at the Royal Palace in Turin. Comparisons: A similar item from the late 17^(th) century with a virtually identical shape and structure can be seen in the Royal Armoury in Turin and is illustrated in Fascicolo nr. 27 – Storia Militare Moderna, 2026, pages 498–499. See also European Weapons on Auction from the National Historical Artillery Museum of Turin by G. Dondi (2005), pages 180–182.