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Two rings of loyalty to the royal cause given to the Viscount of Hardouineau*, in solid 18 carat gold, in the shape of a signet ring with an oval castle chiseled with two crossed swords and the cry "Long live the King anyway!", outline dated 1815, from the Restoration period, early 19th century.
The first ring is size 73 (Gross weight: 3.69 gr). The rim is engraved with "24 MAY 1815". Ring engraved on the front to the left of the bezel "A DIEU MON AME / MON CŒUR AUX DAMES" and on the right "MA VIE AU ROI / L'HONNEUR A MOI". In the place corresponding to the bezel, a heart-shaped shield "Le Vte D'Hardouineau M al de Camp" decorated with the initials "LMT / PAF / C." corresponding to the members of the royal family (Louis XVIII, Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Angoulême, Charles-Philippe, Count of Artois, Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, Ferdinand Duke of Berry, Caroline, Duchess of Berry.
The second ring is size 64 (Gross weight: 4.28 gr). The edge of the bezel is engraved with "YPRES 25 MARS 1815". Ring engraved on the front to the left of the bezel "A DIEU MON AME / MON CŒUR AUX DAMES" and on the right "MA VIE AU ROI / L'HONNEUR A MOI". The inside of the ring is engraved with "d'Hardouineau" and a heart decorated with the initials "LMTPAFC" corresponding to the members of the royal family (see above). Trace of a goldsmith's hallmark ending with a B.
was received as a Bodyguard of the King on January 3, 1800, as his father had been 23 years earlier. Made a Knight of the Legion of Honor on November 26, 1814, he was noted on campaign in Ghent in 1815. In the Secret and Unpublished Memoirs of Alphonse de Beauchamp (1767-1832), he intervened, presented as "aide-de-camp to Louis XVIII", on "the exile and misfortunes of the princes of the Royal House" (Paris, Paris, Vernarel and Tenon, 1825).
Please note: the kittens are sealed, some small shocks and deformations, scratches and wear from time, take a good look at the photos.
Faced with the unexpected return of the Emperor to France in February 1815, Louis XVIII left Paris for Ghent (in Belgium). The soldiers of the royal army who followed him to Belgium received a patent signed by the hand of the Duke of Berry, stating that they had been part of this army. These rings were only made or given on sight of the patent.
The specific type rings for the King's House:
As Gabriel Cottreau wrote in 1904 in an article published in the magazine La Sabretache: "The Restoration is the only period in our history when we saw soldiers wearing rings recalling either their services in a corps or their participation in a campaign. This custom originated in the Maison du Roi and spread to the companies of the Maison Rouge: gendarmes, light horse and musketeers, as well as in the company of horse grenadiers, mainly at the time when these corps were disbanded." When Louis XVIII's Maison Rouge was disbanded, the officers of the companies received, as a rallying sign, a gold ring whose bezel bore the distinctive insignia of the company.
