This fowling piece is one of the earliest firearms equiped with the flintlock of French construction. It was made for Louis XIII (reigned 1610–43) in the workshop directed by Pierre Le Bourgeois' brother, Marin (about 1550–1634), to whom the invention of the flintlock mechanism is traditionally ascribed. The decoration of the gun includes the crowned monogram of the king. The scroll-shaped end of the gunstock is an unusual and especially graceful feature of this gun's design.
Dimensions:L. 55 5/16 in. (140.5 cm); Cal. .59 in. (55 mm); L. of barrel 41 in. (104.1 cm); L. of lockplate 6 9/16 in. (16.7 cm); Wt. 5 lb. 11 oz. (2580 g)
Classification:Firearms-Guns-Flintlock
Credit Line:Rogers Fund and Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1972
Accession Number:1972.223
Marking: Mark stamped on top of barrel near breech, a crossbow between letters PB, is attributed to Pierre le Bourgeois of Lisieux (d. 1627), brother of Marin (d. 1634) and Jean (d. 1615) le Bourgeois, both also arquebusiers in Lisieux.
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Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Accessions and Notes: Changes in the Armor Study Room." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 22, no. 7 198–99, ill.
Lenk, Torsten. "De Äldsta Flintlåsen, Deras Dekoration och Dekoratörer." Konsthistorisk Tidskrift III, nos. 4 p. 121, fig. 5.
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Hoopes, Thomas T., and City Art Museum of St. Louis. "Loan Exhibition: Firearms of Princes." Bulletin of the City Art Museum of St. Louis 25, no. 1 pp. 10–11, pl. I(c).
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Lenk, Torsten. The Flintlock: Its Origin and Development, edited by John F. Hayward. London: Holland Press, 1965. pp. 16–17, pl. 9.
Lindsay, Merrill, Bruce Pendleton, Verne Noll, and Peter Parnall. One Hundred Great Guns: An Illustrated History of Firearms. New York: Walker and Company, 1967. p. 78.
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Norman, Geraldine. "£125,000 Paid for Single Gun." The Times (November 22, 1972), p. 1, ill.
Hayward, John F. "Notes on the Cabinet D'Armes of Louis XIII." Livrustkammaren 13, no. 1–2 pp. 23–32, figs. 1–2.
Hoving, Thomas. "[Director's Note]." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (1973–74), p. 57.
Shirey, David L. "Met Acquires 17th-Century Flintlock." New York Times (May 5, 1973), p. 43, ill.
Lindsay, Merrill. "The Most Valuable Gun in the World." Guns (June 1974), pp. 42–45, 56–58, ill.
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Nickel, Helmut. "Arms and Armor from the Permanent Collection." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (Summer 1991), pp. 42–43, 64, ill. p. 42.
Reverseau, Jean-Pierre. "Arquebuse de Pierre Le Bourgeois." Revue de la Societé des Amis du Musée de l'Armée 110 p. 69.
Galeries nationales du Grand Palais. Un Temps D'exubérance: Les Arts Décoratifs Sous Louis XIII et Anne D'autriche: Paris, Galeries Nationales Du Grand Palais, 9 Avril–8 Juillet 2002. Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 2002. no. 215.
Reverseau, Jean-Pierre. Armes et Armures de la Couronne au Musée de l'Armée. Dijon: Éditions Faton, 2004. p. 295, ill.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Thomas P. Campbell. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012. p. 166, ill.
Pyhrr, Stuart W. "Of Arms and Men: Arms and Armor at the Metropolitan, 1912–2012." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (Summer 2012), pp. 43–44, fig. 72.
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