BACKGROUND: Kaiser Wilhelm II, who reigned from 1888 until the end of the first world war, created several decorations for his regiments which recalled the era of his ancestor Frederick the Great (1712-1786), including grenadier caps, in 1894, for the 1st Guard Regiment. These "Miter" helmets had become a distinguishing feature of eighteenth century grenadiers (French for "grenade-men"), who were tasked with leading the assaults on fortified positions, clearing enemy entrenchments with their grenades. The Miter survived as a parade dress item until the beginning of the first world war.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: A "Miter" helmet, comprised of a tall, pointed wool cap, with a silvered tin headband and front plate. Its front, stamped, silvered plate is 9 1/4" wide at its base, and tapers as it rises to a height of 11 1/4". An "FR" monogram, for "Friedrich Rex," is embossed to the lower center of the plate, enclosed by floral motifs and flanked by draped flags, with sprays of laurels rising from each of the plate’s lower corners. Above the monogram is embossed three flaming grenades, with a rose beneath the center one, the grouping flanked by drums and then draped flags, with the rightmost flag having an eagle to it. Above the grenades and roughly to the center of the plate is a spread-winged, Frederickan eagle with a bundle of lightening bolts in one talon, an upright sword in the other, and a "bandeau" arching over its head with "Semper Talis" (Ever Following) to it. This motto, granted in 1899, indicated that the wearer belonged to either the first or second battalion of the first regiment (the third was a fusilier battalion with a different motto). Above and beyond the decorative border surrounding the eagle are plumed helmets, more decorations, and to the peak, a Prussian crown. A three-piece, similarly stamped silver headband extends from behind the front plate and along the base of the cap, each side piece rising to a height of 4", whereas the piece to the reverse rises to 4 5/8". A "flaming grenade" is embossed to the center of each of these pieces, all against scale-like backgrounds, with floral motifs along their upper edges, and the reverse piece also having draped flags near its base, and plumed helmets near its top. M91 side posts, for the attachment of a flat, silver-scaled chin strap, (chinscales missing) may be seen forward of the embossed grenades to each side piece. As these helmets did not acquire a chin strap until 1896, their existence dates this Miter to after then. The red wool cap rising from behind the headband pieces has white piping extending from the uppermost part of each of them, with wire stiffeners sewn behind each band of piping, all leaning towards and meeting at a point behind the peak of the front plate. The front plate itself is backed in red wool, and has an alloy receptacle for the wire base of a worsted wool tuft, or "puschel," in white topped with red. The red indicates musician status. It appears that the wire-stiffened point of the cap was originally sewn over the receptacle to the back of the front plate’s peak, but this has become undone. To the interior, a blackened leather sweatband with twelve "tongues," each of these with two perforations to their ends (for an, absent, adjusting tie string), rises from the base of the cap. The outline of a cloth tag may seen sewn to the rear of this sweatband. Although heavily chafe worn, the leather is still surprisingly supple. The wool cap itself is typically nap worn and age soiled, but does not appear to have any moth nips, tears, or repairs. The silvered plates all exhibit light wear to their embossed highlights, and darkening to their recesses.

GRADE ****                                                 PRICE $4,680.00