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Double-Barrel Breech-Loading Pinfire Shotgun

dated 1866
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 375
The Second Empire (1852–70) marked the twilight of French gunmaking, which had dominated the design of European firearms since the period of Louis XIV. Parisian gunmakers consistently employed the finest contemporary designers, silversmiths, sculptors, and engravers to transform functional hunting and target weapons into works of art. This exquisitely decorated shotgun reflects the period's predilection for historical revivals––in this case, the style of Louix XV. Especially noteworthy is the harmonious combination of Rococo ornamental vocabulary and blue-and-gold coloring, which together evoke eighteenth-century taste. Exhibited by Brun at the Exposition Universelle of 1867, the gun is actually a collaborative work by several of the leading artists and craftsmen of the time: the damascus twist barrels are by Léopold Bernard; the overall design and the intricately chiseled steel mounts are by the goldsmiths François-Auguste and François-Joseph-Louis Fannière; and the delicate engravings on the barrels and mounts, encrusted in two-color gold, are by the engraver Tissot.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Double-Barrel Breech-Loading Pinfire Shotgun
  • Gunsmith: J. C. A. Brun (French, Paris, active 1849–72)
  • Barrelsmith: Léopold Bernard (French, Paris, active 1832–70)
  • Goldsmith: Designed and steel chiseled by François-Auguste Fannière (French, Paris, 1818–1900)
  • Goldsmith: Designed and steel chiseled by François-Joseph-Louis Fannière (French, Paris, 1822–1897)
  • Engraver: Jean-Claude Tissot (French, Paris, 1811–1889)
  • Date: dated 1866
  • Geography: Paris
  • Culture: French, Paris
  • Medium: Steel, wood (walnut), gold
  • Dimensions: L. 43 13/16 in. (111.3 cm); L. of barrels 28 in. (71.1 cm); Cal. of barrels .70 in. (17.8 mm); Wt. 7 lb. 7.6 oz. (3390 g)
  • Classification: Firearms-Guns-Wheellock
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Sulzberger Foundation Inc. Gift and Rogers Fund; Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various donors, Gift of William H. Riggs, The Collection of Giovanni P. Morosini, presented by his daughter Giulia, and Gift of Charles M. Schott Jr., by exchange; and gifts and funds from various donors, 1993
  • Object Number: 1993.415
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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