Cleaver French infantry artillery model 1816

Общая длина без ножен: 633 мм.
Длина клинка: 478 мм.
Ширина клинка у пяты: 44.7 мм.
Длина ножен: 504 мм.

An infrequent cleaver in very good collectible condition. The blade is steel, straight, double-edged, with two short lobes in the lower third of the blade and one lobe for two-thirds of the length of the blade on both sides. The hilt is brass, solid-cast, consists of a handle and a crosspiece. The barrel-shaped handle, with relief scales, is attached to the shank with three rivets. The head of the handle is oval with a button, made in the form of a semicircular hat; the shank of the blade is riveted on top. On the head there are remnants of the image of the French lily. The crosspiece is straight with round ends, decorated with a dotted background. The scabbard is leather with a brass device consisting of a mouth with a bracket for suspension and a tip with a ball.

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  Crosspiece: there are removed stamps of army and inspection acceptance; "2196" - the stamp of army acceptance.

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  The base of the blade on both sides: the marks of the inspection acceptance "L" in the circle, "B", "K*" are applied; the semi-erased inscription "Manuf're R'le du Klingenthal" is applied with a needle - the brand of the manufacturer - the Royal Manufactory in Klingenthal.

the item is in good collectible condition. Scuffs and traces of corrosion on the blade. Scuffs and traces of existence on the scabbard and hilt

At the beginning of the XVIII century, King Louis XV of France decided to create a production of edged weapons on the territory of France in order not to depend on the supply of weapons from Germany. The creation of such an enterprise was entrusted to Henri Antes, who recruited gunsmiths from Solingen (Germany) for this purpose. On July 15, 1730, a patent was obtained for a period of thirty years. The production was organized on the territory located on the border with Germany, belonging to the Grand Chapitre of Strasbourg. In 1731, the first deliveries of weapons began. The label of the Royal Alsace Manufactory was placed on the first samples of weapons. The name Klingenthal (from "klingen" – to sound and "tal"- valley) was given to the manufactory because hammer blows constantly sounded in the valley where the manufactory was located. Since 1801 it has been run by the Coulaux family. The manufacturer's marking was traditionally placed on the butt of the blade, while the stamps of officials who carried out state supervision of production were applied on the canvas near the heel. In 1814-1815, the location of the plant on this territory from the point of view of expediency began to cause doubt. At the same time, many of the gunsmiths decided to emigrate to Russia. According to the research of historian Hans Zollner, if during the time of Catherine the Great about 25 thousand Germans left their homeland, moving to Thanks to the privileges given by Alexander I, the number of migrants reached 60 thousand. Despite the brutal tax levies imposed by officials who opposed the outflow of labor from Europe, the flow of those wishing to move to It was impossible to stop Russia. Thus, in 1836, the manufactory was closed. Production was moved to Chatellerault. The Klingenthal manufactory became the property of the Coulaux family, which chose a different direction of production - it made tools (scythes and sickles), but produced cold and bayonet weapons in small batches. In 1962, due to the unprofitability of production, the manufactory in Klingenthal was finally closed.