A French light cavalry officer’s sabre dating from the Consulate period, featuring the characteristic Côte de Melon pommel associated with refined French officer’s swords of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The sabre has a curved cavalry blade and an elegantly formed officer’s hilt, reflecting the privately purchased and often highly individualised weapons carried by French officers during the Consulate.

The accompanying scabbard differs from the more elaborately decorated examples of the period, with a comparatively restrained finish. This combination of an elegant officer’s hilt and curved cavalry blade is characteristic of the transitional period immediately preceding the establishment of the First Empire.

An attractive example of a French officer’s sidearm from the Consulate period, representing the increasingly refined style of military swords adopted by officers around the turn of the 19th century.