Ring of loyalty of the company of the "Grenadiers à Cheval" of the King's Military Household, belonging to J. Galabert, Restoration era.

LOYALTY RING OF THE COMPANY OF THE "GRENADIERS À CHEVAL" OF THE KING'S MILITARY HOUSEHOLD, BELONGING TO J. GALABERT, RESTORATION PERIOD.

Ring of the Company of the "Grenadiers à cheval." Gilt copper, adorned with foliage and coats of arms. Vermeil setting with a shining grenade and the motto "Undique terror," "Undique lethum," and "Honour and Loyalty" within shields (partially worn off inscription). Inside, two crossed hands engraved with "Mis de la Rochejaquelein" and "Galabert.J 1815."

Good condition, signs of wear.

France.

Restoration period.

NOTE:
Comes with a silver-plated non-military ring of the same provenance.

Following the unexpected return of the Emperor to France in February 1815, Louis XVIII left Paris for Ghent.

The rings of the two swords type:
The military of the royal army who followed Louis XVIII to Belgium received a patent signed by the Duke of Berry, certifying their service in the army. The officers decided to have a ring made with two crossed swords and the motto "My life to the king, my heart to the ladies." "These rings, just executed, also feature the royal family's initials: L, MT, P, A, F, C (Louis XVIII, Marie-Thérèse duchess of Angoulême, Louis-Philippe duke of Orléans, Antoine duke of Angoulême, Ferdinand duke of Berry, Charles, count of Artois). The name of the recipient, along with the date and location of crossing the border, are also engraved. These rings are only made or presented upon presentation of the patent.
- One ring belonged to Jacques Brasseur, a driver in the artillery train of the King's Guard Companies. It is dated on the setting: Ghent, March 17, 1815, with the inside engraved "Brasseur Jacques artillery driver of the royal Guard" with a coat of arms bearing the initials: L, MT, P, A, F, C, this driver was probably part of the artillery train teams within the King's Guard companies.
- Another example is dated March 25, 1815, featuring a small hinged oval box on the setting serving as a reliquary; it bears the inscription "Mis de Monpezat, Major officer of the Mre de la Gre" and at the height of the setting, in a heart-shaped shield, the capital letters L. MT. P. A. F. Similarly, another example from March 1815 belonged to Gérard de Contamine d'Arimont, a member of the King's Guard. On a ring of the same model from the Valles (or d'Hozier) family, the setting also forms a small reliquary box, dated "Ypres March 25, 1815."
- An example from the former Thierry Marais collection attributed to a member of the King's Guard.
- Three other examples in private collections.
- One example attributed to G.M.G. Herman, with "Ghent, May 3, 1815" inscribed on the setting.
- A ring bestowed upon Louis François Xavier Duliège d'Aunis (or d'Arrest), a chevau-léger of the King's Military Household, awarded on May 24, 1815 (private collection).
- A ring given to Ferdinand de Cacheleu (1784), a member of the King's Guard, dated "Ghent, May 28, 1815."
- A ring presented to the Chevalier de Canolle dated "Ghent / March 1815," adorned with a miniature of Louis XVIII in the setting.
- Two rings given to Viscount d'Hardouineau, aide-de-camp of Louis XVIII, Guard of the King's Guard, one dated May 24, 1815, and the other May 25, 1815, at Ypres.

Specific rings for the King's Household:
As Gabriel Cottreau wrote in 1904 in an article published in the magazine La Sabretache: "The Restoration is the only period in our history where soldiers were seen wearing rings recalling their service in a unit or their participation in a campaign. This practice originated in the King's Household and spread to the companies of the Red Household: gendarmes, chevau-légers, and musketeers, as well as in the company of grenadiers à cheval, mainly when these units were disbanded." Upon the disbandment of Louis XVIII's Household, the officers of the companies received, as a rallying sign, a gold ring with the company's distinctive emblem. For instance, the musketeers' rings were adorned with the cross of each Company, with the number 1 or 2 in the center of the cross; for the Gendarmes, Jupiter's spindle was embellished with the company's motto "Quo jubet iratus Jupiter"; for the Chevau-légers, the fleur-de-lis thunderbolt with the motto "Sensère Gigantes" and below, the company's creation date "1593"; and the ring for the Grenadiers à cheval was in silver or vermeil with a flaming grenade.
- These rings are rare, thanks to the prestigious collections of Raoul and Jean Brunon, acquired by the state in 1967, the Army Museum houses a ring of the Grenadiers à cheval in its collections (currently exhibited at the Château de l'Empéri in Salon de Provence).
- Another version was reproduced in the early issues of La Sabretache (perhaps the same piece from the Brunon collection?). Gabriel Cottreau mentioned an example from his family with a plain ring and a shield-shaped setting bearing unexplained imaginary coat of arms.
- A Grenadiers à cheval model ring belonged to Perrot.
- A Grenadiers à cheval model ring belonged to Delessert.
- Lieutenant Colonel Titeux, in his History of the King's Household, described a ring that belonged to Count de Baillon, with the initials "L.M.T.P.A.P." inside, followed by "Count de Baillon, Mousquetaire Noir."
- A Grenadiers à cheval model ring belonged to J. Bondele (silver setting).
- A Grenadiers à cheval model ring belonged to J. Galabert (vermeil setting).
- A Grenadiers à cheval model ring belonged to Louis Mougin, a member of the King's Guard in 1822 (copper setting).
- A gilded bronze version attributed to grenadiers à cheval, with a circular setting adorned with a flaming grenade surrounded by the corps motto "Undique Terror, Undique Letum" (everywhere terror, everywhere death), encircled by two cartridges with "Honour" and "Loyalty" engraved, the interior decorated with a raised faith symbol, originating from the Canolle family.
- A Grenadiers à cheval model ring belonged to B Smidtte.

SOURCES:
- History of the King's Military Household, Eugène Titeux, Paris, 1890.
- Military Rings of 1815 and 1824, Gabriel Cottreau, La Sabretache Journals, Paris, March 1904.
- The Ring in France throughout History, Maximin Deloche, Librairie de Paris, Firmin-Didot et Cie, 56 rue Jacob.