a post-SOS dream...

[joe campbell]

my primary interest in the actual collecting field

is the eiserne kreuz....

but the really fascinating part that adds to all of

this is the history itself. of late, i've read several

amazing books on the napoleonic wars, and it

got me thinking....

perhaps a bit fundamental to say that napoleon was

the prime mover for the institution of the iron cross,

but it WAS his bellicosity that got the ball rolling.

at any rate, i have some non-germanic

items that relate to the period, and recently

picked this up.

it is a first empire (1808-1814) Legion d'Honneur,

and i am quite excited to have it. perhaps a bit far-fetched,

but napoleon could have had his paws on this one.

your thoughts/comments appreciated!

joe

[joe campbell]

reverse.

[Hendrik]

it is a first empire (1808-1814) Legion d'Honneur,

and i am quite excited to have it. perhaps a bit far-fetched,

but napoleon could have had his paws on this one.

your thoughts/comments appreciated!

joe

Hello Joe,

You have every right to be exited : those early LDH pieces are indeed gorgeous and pretty rare to find in the excellent condition yours appears to be in. To determine the exact type, I would need higher definition pictures (300 dpi) - feel free to PM them to me and I'll see what I can find out.

At any rate, I have to disappoint you about the chances of Napoleon having had his grubby hands on this one : the first type, which he actually wore himself, doesn't have a crown suspension at all and it resides in the vaults of the ... Belgian Army Museum in Brussels.

Hendrik

[joe campbell]

hendrik-

you are correct. this is the third type as best as i

can tell....

i wasn't referring to him actually wearing this one,

i only meant that perhaps he had awarded it

personally to one of his troopers.

i'll get some higher resolution scans to you.

thanks for your comments!

joe

[Stogieman]

Isn't this a Chevalier, not Officer's??

[joe campbell]

yes, 'tis a chevalier!

joe

[Bob Hunter]

An extraordinary piece, Joe, congratulations on adding it to your collection!

[Christian L]

great item!

would also enjoy to see BIGGER pictures

christian

[joe campbell]

i will forward some to hendrik in the next

48 hours and ask him to do his magic!

thank you!

joe

[Hendrik]

Thanks Jim ... I've been happily fiddling with your LDH pictures as can be seen below.

It is, as you already indicated yourself, the 1st model, 3rd type, Knight class of the order (chevalier) mainly because of :

- the crown with 8 arches (3 front, 3 back, 1 on each side) of that particular rounded form at the top,

- reverse eagle looking right instead of left

The other characteristics are all in compliance with it being a 1st model.

Gorgeous one dating from between 1806 to 1814 in marvellous condition for its age. Those wee bits of missing enamel are entirely neglible compared to the "usual" wrecks one encounters from time to time ...

Congratulations on having it in your collection ! I'm currently looking a nice shade of green with envy

Hendrik

[attachmentid=29424]

[Hendrik]

... and the reverse with the eagle looking the other way.

[attachmentid=29430]

[joe campbell]

hendrik-

your thorough and favorable appraisal

is much appreciated!

is there a relatively complete publication

or website that traces the iterations of

the LDH? thanks for any help you can provide.

some of this interest is from reading a

relatively new book(2004) by adam

zamoyski titled " MOSCOW 1812", a

highly readable treatise on Napoleon's

russian campaign.

again, my thanks!

joe

[Ed_Haynes]

A lovely lovely item. Once upon a time, I almost bought one with a contemporary early-19th-century tag saying "Taken from the field at Waterloo" and signed. Thinking of it still sends chills down my spine. But it cost too much, something like GBP 80 at the time. I have been collecting too long.

A nice site on the typology of the varieties.

http://www.klm-mra.be/LDH_web/index.html

Expected you to come up with this one, Hendrik!

PS- And a nice PDF exhibit catalogue there for your downloading and lusting pleasure: http://www.klm-mra.be/frans/tentoonstellin.../catalog-FR.pdf

Edited March 5, 2006 by Ed_Haynes

[joe campbell]

ed-

both resources are interesting and exactly

what i was looking for.

much appreciated, ed!

joe

[Hendrik]

A nice site on the typology of the varieties.

http://www.klm-mra.be/LDH_web/index.html

PS- And a nice PDF exhibit catalogue there for your downloading and lusting pleasure: http://www.klm-mra.be/frans/tentoonstellin.../catalog-FR.pdf

Thanks Ed

Woe is me ! How could I forget about the Belgian Army Museum site and the 2002 Exhibition (which I actually visited at the time) ?

Senility must be creeping upon me

The exhibition was held on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the order and had the full cooperation of the Paris LDH museum which was then and still is undergoing a complete makeover. The Paris museum will reopen this year, on 14 July ... just in case one happens to find oneself in that town after that date ...

[g_deploige]

Dear Joe, her the beautifull LDH 3rd Republic you asked for in the topic Legion of Honnor.

On the next link you can find an gold cross 1 empire witch was worn by Napoleon himself.

It is a piece from the collection Brouwet in the Royal Army Museum in Brussels

L?gion d'Honneur of Napoleon Front

Backside

Edited March 15, 2006 by g_deploige

[g_deploige]

a little history about the collection brouwet

The Collection Brouwet is a gift of the Collector to the Royal Army Museum in Belgium in 1939

it is composed of Orders created by Napoleon and his brothers and orders from the allied countries.

a part of this collection has been publiched in the book "Les Ordres Fran?ais et R?compenses Nationales" by L. Bourdier in 1927 after an exhebition in the castel of Malmaison near Paris (House of Napol?on and Josephine) in 1926. The book has been reedited in 1977 by the douchter of Bourdier, Colette.

Here you see the photo's of this exhibition made by Brouwet and Bourdier in 1926.

From the pieces mentioned als collection Brouwet in the book from Bourdier, 5 are in 1939 no more in the collection, 4 of them has been bought in 1936 by the Mus?e National de la L?gion d'honneur in Paris, of 1 we dont know where it is. Olse pieces mentiond als collection L.B. (Bourdier) has been bought by Brouwet and are in the collection that came in the museum in 1939.

At this moment this collection is no more exposed to the public.

Edited March 15, 2006 by g_deploige

[joe campbell]

M Deploige!

merci! et merci!

the information and the sites you post

are most helpful and much appreciated!

joe

[g_deploige]

There is olso an interseting book with beutifull photos from private and Museum collections, with came out last year, but it costs 250 euro.

"ORDRES de CHEVALERIE, D?corations et m?dailles" (des origines au second empire) de Jean-Pierre Collignon.

R?f. ORME, 2005, 24 x 32, 464 p., r?li?, plus de 1400 ill. couleurs, 250 ?

Un instrument de travail exceptionnel indispensable aux historiens, aux collectionneurs, aux experts en ventes publiques, aux mus?es nationaux et municipaux, aux grandes maisons royales et imp?riales et aussi, tout simplement, aux amateurs de belles images et de bijoux du patrimoine glorieux de la France.

you can order it via the website of www.memodoc.com in France

Edited March 15, 2006 by g_deploige

[g_deploige]

A page with ? few L?gion d'honneurs from the Collection Brouwet at the exhebition in Malmaison in 1926