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Percussion Pistol with Case

Gunsmith Alfred Gauvain French
possibly 1844
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 375
This pistol may have been exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in 1855 in Paris, where Gauvain received a medal of honor for several pistols. Gauvain also showed decorated pistols at the international exhibitions held in London in 1849 and 1851.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Percussion Pistol with Case
  • Gunsmith: Alfred Gauvain (French, Paris 1801–1889 Paris)
  • Date: possibly 1844
  • Geography: Paris
  • Culture: French, Paris
  • Medium: Steel, wood (ebony), gold, wood, textile
  • Dimensions: L. of pistol 16 7/8 in. (42.9 cm); Cal. .44 in. (11.2 mm); Wt. 3 lb. 4 oz. (1474 g)
  • Classification: Firearms-Pistols-Percussion
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Charles N. Daly, 1934
  • Object Number: 35.81.4
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

More Artwork

More Artwork
Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, 1851, Alfred Gauvain French, Steel, wood (ebony), gold, French, Paris
Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, 1851
Gunsmith Signed by Alfred Gauvain
Designer Designed by Michel Liénard
Barrelsmith Barrels by Léopold Bernard
dated 1851
Costume Armor in the Classical Style, Hallé French, Helmet: linen, papier-mâché, bole, gold leaf, graphite; tunic: silk, cotton, metal coils and spangles, metallic yarn, French, Paris
Costume Armor in the Classical Style
Helmet includes original paper label of Hallé
ca. 1788–90
Pair of Four-Barreled Turnover Percussion Pistols of Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (1785–1851), with Pair of Box-Lock Turn-Off Pocket Pistols, Case, and Accessories, James Purdey the Elder British, Turnover pistols: steel, wood (walnut), gold, silver; pocket pistols: steel, wood (walnut); mallet: wood (walnut, rosewood, ebony), leather; ramrod: wood (ebony), brass; cleaning rod: wood (walnut), brass, steel; cleaning rod tip: brass; powder flask: copper, gold, brass, steel; bullet mold: steel; nipple wrench: wood (walnut), steel, brass; screwdriver: horn, steel, brass; socket wrench: steel; patch box: ivory; case: wood (mahogany), brass, ivory, textile, paper, British, London
Pair of Four-Barreled Turnover Percussion Pistols of Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (1785–1851), with Pair of Box-Lock Turn-Off Pocket Pistols, Case, and Accessories
Multiple artists/makers
1831
Cased Set of a Flintlock Rifle, a Pair of Pistols, and Accessories, Nicolas Noël Boutet French, Steel, wood (walnut, mahogany), silver, gold, horn, velvet, French, Versailles
Cased Set of a Flintlock Rifle, a Pair of Pistols, and Accessories
Gunsmith Nicolas Noël Boutet
ca. 1800
Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the 1844 Exposition des Produits de l'Industrie in Paris, Alfred Gauvain French, Steel, wood (ebony), French, Paris
Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the 1844 Exposition des Produits de l'Industrie in Paris
Gunsmith Signed by Alfred Gauvain
Designer Designed by Michel Liénard
Barrelsmith Barrels by Léopold Bernard
dated 1844

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