The French saber of the lower ranks of the infantry of the 11 year model (AN XI)

The blade is steel, single-edged, curved, flat, without dales. The combat end is double-edged. The hilt is brass, consists of a handle and a guard. The handle has transverse grooves and a smooth back, which smoothly turns into a rounded head. The guard is formed by an anterior protective bow, passing into the crosspiece. The far end of the crosspiece is rounded and bent towards the blade. The scabbard is leather with a brass device consisting of a mouth with a fixed bracket and a tip with a ball.

• The crosspiece on the right: "193" - the stamp of the inspection acceptance, the product number.

• The guard's shackle on the right: the letters "B*", "34", "B" are punched - the stamps of the inspection acceptance.

• The base of the blade on the right: "K" (?), "B", "L" - marks of inspection acceptance.

• The butt of the blade:  the needle bears the inscription "Manuf-re Ro-ale du Klingenthal avril 1821" - the brand of the manufacturer and the date of manufacture of the product (Royal Manufactory in Klingenthal, April 1821).

the item is in a good collector's condition. Traces of corrosion on the blade, scuffs and traces of existence on the hilt and scabbard.

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, owned by the Grand Chapitre from 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 Russia, then 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, it was impossible to stop the flow of those wishing to move to 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. http://www.klingenthal.fr/marquages_coulaux.htm