A Saber for Prince Joachim Murat, Grand Admiral of the Empire

While the First Empire abounded in prestigious weapons, few were as lavish as this gold-trimmed steel saber featuring complex sculptural motifs made for Joachim Murat, one of the Napoleonic era’s most flamboyant figures. The weapon had to be all the more spectacular as it marked the promotion of a man who was already Marshal of the Empire to the rank of Grand Admiral by Napoleon in 1805. A Gold and Steel Saber To savor the abundant decoration, each detail must be carefully pored over, starting with the top of the blued and gilded steel mount. The hilt is divided into two branches, the main one shaped like a palm trunk surmounted by a capital featuring the head of Mars. The other has a rolled up palm leaf…