French Imperial Guard with Eagle, 1815

This Lieutenant has the honor of being the Porte-Aigle, or Eagle Bearer, of the 1st Regiment of Imperial Guard Grenadiers. A small party made up of officers and men were chosen to protect the eagle at any cost. The oiled silk, tricolored flag was richly embroidered in gold with the regimental title and insignia on the front and a list of battle honors on the reverse. The flag was mounted to a blue painted oak staff topped by the bronze Imperial Eagle first distributed in December of 1804. The design of the eagle was inspired by the standards of the Roman Legions with the left facing eagle perched on Jupiter’s spindle which rested on a plinth with the regiment’s number applied to the front. The flag, eagle, and staff weighed approximately 10 pounds, with the eagle alone weighing about 4 pounds.