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LOT 3320
Attractive Cased Pair of Relief Engraved and Gold Monogrammed French Percussion Dueling Pistols with Relief Carved Ebony Stocks by Gastinne- Renette, Award Winning Gunmaker to Napoleon III -A) Gastinne-Renette Dueling Pistol - NSN, 45 cal., 10 inch octagon bbl., blue/French gray finish, ebony stock. This deluxe engraved pair of French dueling pistols were produced by award winning French gunmaker Louis-Julien Gastinne-Renette (1812-1885) c. 1850s-1860s. Gastinne-Renette was a gunmaker to Emperor Napoleon III of France and his son Louis-Napoleon as well as the King of Spain and produced phenomenal pistols both for use in duels and target shooting as well as for exhibition pieces at the World’s Fairs. In addition to producing fine firearms, Gastinne-Renette also ran an exceptional shooting gallery where would be duelists could practice and compete shooting at dueling silhouettes. This
pair features rifled barrels signed “Gastinne-Renette arq. de L’Empereur & du Prince Imperial,” and each lock is similarly signed “Gastinne Renette.” in banners. In keeping with Gastinne-Renette’s legendary quality, the pistols feature exceptional engraving and carving. The barrels feature incised engraving at the
192 muzzles and breech sections and further relief chiseled patterns that extend
onto the breech plugs and standing breeches. “1” and “2” are executed in relief on the breech plugs and standing breeches of the respective pistols, and each pistol has a dovetailed blade front sight towards the muzzle and a fixed notch rear sight on the standing breech, the latter being more typical for dueling pistols whereas target pistols may have adjustable rear sights. The trigger guards are spurred and enclose single triggers tuned for precision shooting. The locks each feature elaborate scroll and foliate engraving inhabited by a wyvern towards the center, and the remaining components feature coordinating scroll and border patterns. The backgrounds are finely textured throughout adding depth and contrast. Additionally, each trigger guard bow features a raised gold “ML” monogram. The pistols feature very attractive one-piece ebony stocks that have been lavishly deep relief carved with laurel branches on the wrists set on stippled backgrounds. Laurel leaves are classical symbols of victory. The pair comes in a fitted wood case with
the coat of arms of the Second French Empire (1852-1870) in gold over “GASTINNE-RENETTE/ARQR ORDINARIE/de S.M. l’Empereur/A PARIS” in gilt lettering inside the lid highlighting Gastinne-Renette’s title of gunmaker in ordinary to Napoleon III.