When Napoleon abdicated in April 1814, the restored Bourbon government ordered the army's eagles handed in and destroyed — the bronze birds melted down, the tricolors burned. To many officers this was unthinkable. Rather than surrender the regiment's most sacred object, some hid their eagles: buried in gardens, walled up, smuggled away in baggage. So when Napoleon landed from Elba in 1815 and the regiments rallied to him, a number of eagles that were supposed to no longer exist reappeared, dug out of hiding to march again. The eagle, not the flag, was the thing that mattered — a regiment could lose its colors and replace them, but never the bird.

The figure shows the Porte-Aigle as a lieutenant rather than a grenadier — the cocked hat with red plume and gold lace in place of the bearskin, dark blue coat with gold epaulettes, white breeches and black boots — holding the eagle aloft on its blue oak staff, the tricolor heavy with gold embroidery and battle honors. It pairs naturally with the grenadier French Imperial Guard Eagle to show both ranks entrusted with the standard. Build the color party around them: post a French Imperial Guard Company Officer alongside and an Imperial Guard at Present Arms rendering honors to the raised eagle.

W. Britain model 36205. 1/30 scale (approximately 60mm), matte-painted metal. Single foot figure with Eagle standard on a sculpted groundwork base. Boxed.