Original Item: Only One Available. This is a =n excellent example of an 19th Century French Light Infantry Officer’s Gorget. “Gorget” , from the French gorge meaning throat, was a band of linen wrapped around a woman’s neck and head in the medieval period or the lower part of a simple chaperon hood. The term later described a steel or leather collar to protect the throat, a set of pieces of plate armor, or a single piece of plate armor hanging from the neck and covering the throat and chest. Later, particularly from the 18th century, the gorget became primarily ornamental, serving as a symbolic accessory on military uniforms, a use which has survived in some armies. It is considered the last vestige of armor.
The gorget is constructed out of hammered brass which has tarnished to a lovely patina, and features the Imperial Eagle engraved with its wings spread. Over which is applied a German Silver Hunting Horn, the insignia of the French Light Infantry (chasseurs à pied).
A lovely example ready for further research and display!