Grenadier a Cheval of the
Imperial Guard

The Horse Grenadiers, nicknamed "The Gods" represented everything about the elite Guard that was out of reach for the regular army of the Line.

The Guard was better paid, fed, housed, often seen in clean full dress uniforms, and was usually kept in reserve out of combat. Napoleon kept the Guard as a pristine trump card used only in the face of disaster. Commitment of the Guard to battle signaled to the rest of the army not only dire straits but also ultimate victory.

This half size manikin includes the headdress known as a bearskin bonnet although here made of fine black beaver for scale. The long tailed coat (habitveste) is made from antique doeskin wool. The larger Guard pattern buttons were cast from originals and the smaller buttons on the lapels were specially sculpted being only a quarter inch in diameter. The trim is a specially dyed hue called aurore, which is a French shade of pale golden orange.