A pair of HEIC Grenadier infantry officer’s wing style epaulettes, cicca 1830s

The scarce pair of wings are made of gilt chain with narrow gold lace border with a central gilt disc of 40mm diameter, the centre mounted with a silver or silver plated grenade one of these, shown, is loose but could be re-attached]. The chain links are stitched to scarlet cloth backed with card covered with old newspaper [a visible date on what appears to be a letter is dated 1827]. Unlike another pair of wings sold recently these are of very loose construction allowing them to be stitched to the shoulder of thestable jacket or coatee. An illustration of an officer of the 74th Bengal Native Infantry in the 1840s appears elsewhere in this category and includes his own description of the uniform in a letter to his daughter. We are not sure whether the same pattern of epaulette was also worn in the other Presidency Armies of Madras and Bombay. Very little uniform of the East India Company era survives today and even less enters the market. may13/2

Note You can view the painting referred to above by enering 74th in the search box at the top left of the hope page on the websie.