Box containing two pairs of pistols. Belonged to Jacques-Tho - Lot 31

Lot 31
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Box containing two pairs of pistols. Belonged to Jacques-Tho - Lot 31
Box containing two pairs of pistols. Belonged to Jacques-Thomas Sarrut, General of the Revolution and Empire. Baron d'Empire. Pair of flintlock pommel pistols by Boutet in Versailles. Flat-body chased locks and swan-neck hammers. Signed "Manuf A Versailles" in cursive letters. Smooth octagonal barrels. CB" and "NB" thunder and chased grenade hallmarks. Signed "BOUTET DIRECTEUR ARTISTE" on the upper side. Checkered walnut stock with iron fittings. The caps are engraved with "TJS" for Jacques-Thomas Sarrut. Parts re-colored, ramrods added. Good mechanics. Overall length: 40 cm. Category D weapons Pair of gusset pistols, Manufacture de Versailles. Numbered 1 and 2. Flintlock and forced bullet system. Screw-mounted barrels, enriched with a frieze at the muzzle. Chased chests with geometric and foliate decorations following the batteries. Signed "Manufre /De Versailles". Chased folding triggers and dogs with snake-head motifs. Scottish-style crosses carved with scales and foliage. Re-colored parts, Good mechanics. Total length: 15 cm. Category D weapons Modern case lined with green felt and compartments. It contains a shooting kit: Bullet mold, bullet mold/key for forced bullet pistols, two mallets, loading/cleaning rods, oiler, screwdriver, powder flask. 54/35/9 cm. Jacques-Thomas Sarru 1765-1813. Born on August 16, 1765 in Canté, in the heart of the Ariège region, Jacques-Thomas Sarrut did not seem predestined for a military career. The son of a bourgeois from the southwest of France, he received a serious education at the seminaries of Pamiers and Toulouse, where he was particularly interested in mathematics. But already, behind the numbers and the books, he was dreaming of adventure and glory. At the age of 17, in 1782, he swapped the school benches for a uniform, enlisting as a private in the Picardie regiment. He entered the army of the Ancien Régime, then in its twilight years, unaware that he was about to experience some of the most turbulent hours in French history. When the Revolution broke out, the old army faltered, but Sarrut rose to the occasion. Willing and courageous, he made rapid progress: captain, then aide-de-camp to Drouet, he took part in the French campaign and distinguished himself at Jemappes. The Republic, eager for new talent, quickly recognized his worth. He became brigade commander in 1794, aged just 29, after distinguishing himself at the siege of Ypres. At the head of his men, he criss-crossed the battlefields of Europe, forging his reputation in the fury of battle. When Bonaparte seized power, Sarrut was one of the loyal men the Emperor kept at his side. In 1803, he was promoted to brigadier general, the reward for a decade of bravery. He fought at Jena in 1806, then crossed France during the terrible French War. At every battle, from Bussaco to Fuentes de Oñoro, he led his troops with discipline, holding the line against English infantry. In 1810, Napoleon made him a Baron d'Empire, a title he accepted without ostentation. Two years later, he became a major general. It was the pinnacle of his career, but also the beginning of the end. On June 21, 1813, near Vitoria in northern France, the drums sounded once again. The French forces were cornered. Faced with the Duke of Wellington's army, Sarrut leads a desperate counter-attack. The battle is fierce. Bullets whistle. He was hit in the chest. Transported, dying, to a makeshift hospital run by the English, he died five days later, on June 26, 1813. Today, Jacques-Thomas Sarrut's name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe, among those who gave their lives for France. Provenance : By descent to the present day.
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