Important luxury sabre presented by the officers of the 1st and 2nd cuirassiers to General Victor Prosper Ernest Anoul in July 1841. Mother-of-pearl plate handle with eyelet and inlaid gilt shield. Gilt mount, single chain hilt with double guilloche rings. Crosspiece with two rhomboid aurillons and two acorn quillons, decorated with foliage. Large curved blade with flat back, engraved with foliage and hollow sides. Blade entirely engraved damascus style, 5/6 gilt with decoration of trophies of arms, foliage and cartouches engraved "LES OFFICIERS DES 1er & 2me CUIRASSIERS AU GENERAL VICTOR PROSPER ERNEST ANOUL JUILLET 1841. Maker's mark "PATIN BRUXELLES". Scabbard covered with stingray with metal seam (partly missing) with two bosses with rings, cap and bouterole chased foliage, in vermeil. A.B.E. (Wear, small accidents to the plates and scabbard). Circa 1841. Biography : Victor Arnoul (1794-1862) During the First French Empire, he entered the cavalry school in December 1810. He served in the cuirassiers, before transferring to Dutch service in November 1814 following the fall of the First French Empire. He took part in the Battle of Waterloo on the Dutch side and was wounded again. In July 1822, he was forced to leave the Dutch army because of the after-effects of his wounds. Following the Belgian revolution of 1830, he returned to active service and was appointed colonel commander of the Brussels fortress, then in May 1831 military commander of the province of Brabant. In October 1831, he took command of the cuirassiers regiment. In April 1841, he was promoted to major-general of the 2nd brigade of the reserve cavalry division. It was at this time that he received our sabre. In 1842, he became military governor of Brussels and then military commander of the province of Brabant. In October 1832, he was relieved of these duties to become commander of the national gendarmerie. With royal favour, in 1847 he was appointed aide-de-camp to King Leopold I (until his retirement in 1859) and in 1848 commander of the 1st light cavalry division while remaining inspector general of the gendarmerie. He was then appointed Minister of War from June 1851 to March 1855.