A very scarce Italian 'Carabinieri Guardie del Re' (Royal Guard Carabineers) cuirass dating: 1868 provenance: Kingdom of Italy, Consisting of a solid, iron breast-plate and a back-plate painted in black, the former with a big, star-shaped, silver-colored badge on a gilded radial pattern, remains of marks and dots inside the gussets. Brass rosette shaped as daisies along the border. Back-plate en suite (lighter, with the same dots at the inside). Complete with armored straps with iron mounts featuring plates and provided with brass rivets and with leather belt with rectangular buckle. In very good conditions. On February, 7th 1868, by order of the Ministry of War, 80 mounted Carabinieri were called in Florence (40 from the Legion of Florence, 20 from the Legion of Milan, 20 from the Legion of Bologna) to be the escort of honor to the royal procession when Princess Margherita of Savoy, marrying Prince Umberto, would solemnly enter the city.The Carabinieri, on this occasion, wore the helmets and breastplates that had already been used in 1842 during the wedding of the Duke of Savoy (future King Vittorio Emanuele II) and the Archduchess Maria Adelaide of Lorraine. Only some details were modified: the iron royal monogram 'CA' of the helmet was replaced by the golden one 'VE'; the iron cross on the chest by a silver star on a large golden rayed pattern; the iron cusped buttons along the edges by round buttons shaped as a daisy. The iron rivets of the armored straps were replaced by similar ones made gilded brass.This breast-plate, in very good conditions, is certainly one of the most beautiful and rare pieces among the Italian Risorgimento ones, since it was manufactured in only a few dozen specimens preserved in the main Italian museums (including the Royal Armory of Turin; the Museum of Artillery of Turin; the Museum of Castel S. Angelo in Rome; the Stibbert Museum in Florence). height 42.5 cm.