Early 19th century French school. Portrait of a senior officer of the 6th Regiment of Hussars wearing the insignia of Officer of the Legion of Honor, Commander of the Iron Crown and Knight of Saint Louis. Oil on canvas (formerly foxed, restorations including a piece in the lower left corner). Chassis with old annotation in pen "Peint par Géricault colonel Gaspard de Thierry des Estivaux". 60 x 53.5 cm Historical: The frame bears an early attribution to Colonel Gaspard Thierry (1766-1848), Baron des Estiveaux, who served notably with the 9th Regiment of Hussars during the Directoire. His son Constant invented the pencil sharpener. Here, our gentleman wears his First Empire decorations, including the golden eagle of the Legion of Honor and the insignia of Commander of the Iron Crown of the Kingdom of Italy. The Cross of Saint Louis was painted at a later date. Colonel Thierry had been made an Officer of the Legion of Honor (a rank he believed he held as early as 1813, but which was not recognized until 1829), a Knight of the Iron Crown (not referenced, but noted in his late 19th-century biographies) and a Knight of the Order of Saint Louis.