Lot n° 146
Estimation :
10000 - 12000
EUR
Marshal's baton of France attributed to Randon,... - Lot 146 - Thierry de Maigret
Marshal's baton of France attributed to Randon, service and campaign model. The cylindrical brass body is covered with midnight blue silk velvet and sown with thirty uncrowned imperial eagles, set on a thunderbolt from which lightning falls, they are in stamped brass and distributed on six columns of five eagles; the upper end, in gilded brass, presents, a band with an amatized background, bearing the motto: "TERROR BELLI, DECUS PACIS", each letter of which, without serif, is soldered and burnished; the top, with amatized background, is decorated with an imperial eagle, in high relief, surrounded by acanthus leaves; the lower end, in gilt brass, has a band and a slightly domed background, plain; length 50.2 cm, diameter 49 mm, weight 568 g.
Condition: good, the velvet, uniformly worn, shows the weft.
A photograph of Marshal Randon in civilian clothes, by Disdéri, photographer of S. M. l'Empereur 8, boulevard des Italiens à Paris; 10,5 x 6 cm; a handwritten letter with the letterhead of the Ministry of War - Minister's office, addressed to Major General Cassaignolles, president of the cavalry committee, signed by Marshal Randon (2 pages) and a copy of the catalogue as well as the results of the Binoche-Giquello sale of Wednesday, June 20, 2012, appraisers Philippe Missillier and Jean-Christophe Palthey.
Epoch, Paris, circa 1854/1870. Very good condition.
NOTE: under the Second Empire, general officers, raised to the dignity of Marshal of France, received a baton with gold ornaments whose lower cap bore the dedication and date of attribution: "Given by Emperor Napoleon III to his cousin the Marshal... On...". This precious baton was to be worn with the ceremonial dress of the marshals. However, pictorial or photographic iconography from 1848 to 1870 shows us that the marshals, exercising a military command or an administrative function, carried a baton in all circumstances, whether they were in large or small uniform. It seems obvious that these marshals were obliged to acquire one, or even two, service and campaign batons with less fragile gilded brass ornaments, in order to preserve the original lustre of their precious gold ceremonial baton. The official supplier of ceremonial batons during the Second Republic and the Second Empire was the THIÉBAUT company (jeweller manufacturer 178, rue Montmartre in Paris) from which we know the batons of some marshals, most of which are kept in the Army Museum in Paris: HARISPE, appointed in 1851 (mute tip); MAGNAN and CASTELLANE, in 1852 (with dedications); REGNAULT de SAINT-JEAN D'ANGELY, in 1859 and d'ORNANO, in 1861; that of Marshal RANDON, in 1856 and illustrated in Count SPADA's book: Onore e Glorie Francia, Russia, Austria, pages 148 and 149, is also made by THIÉBAUT. The service and campaign batons do not seem to come from goldsmiths but from suppliers of military articles such as Michel-Ange MARION (21, rue de Haute Feuille in Paris), especially known for his production of flag eagles including those in gilded aluminium. These staffs, intended to integrate luggage sent far away and to appear on military operation grounds, were mute, without dedication or coat of arms, in the event of a loss and a capture. To date, two service and field batons are listed with a given affiliation: one for Marshal CANROBERT and another for Marshal RANDON. The first one, preserved in the Museum of the Risorgimento in Milan (Palazzo Moriggia), has eagles similar to those on the baton presented here, but its tips are different. The second, kept in the Musée de l'Armée in Paris (inventory number 16354, in gilded brass and mute), is identical to this one. The attribution of this baton to Marshal RANDON, presented here, is supported by his career and was reinforced, at the BINOCHE and GIQUELLO sale, in June 2012 (n° 107), by the presence of the seal of Marshal RANDON described in n° 108, both of the same provenance. Jacques Louis RANDON was elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France, in 1856, while he was Governor General of Algeria. He exercised this function from 1851 to 1858, as such he made many crossings between France and Algeria and led several military expeditions. From 1859 to 1867, he was Minister of War. Such a career suggests the probable use of two service and campaign batons, ordered from MARION, which explains its perfect similarity with the one in the Musée de l'Armée in Paris which is also mute and with a pronounced wear of velvet of the lower part. It is to be noted that this baton of Marshal RANDON comes from the former FRANCHET d'ESPEREY museum in Algiers and was given to the Museum of the Army in Paris, on September 29, 1962.
Jacques-Louis-César-Alexandre Comte RANDON, born in Grenoble on March 25, 1795 and died in Geneva on 13
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