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LOT 1258
Extremely Important, Historic El Libertador
Simon Bolivar’s Historic Gold Inlaid, Silver
Mounted, and Relief Carved Double Barrel
Flintlock Shotgun by Baucheron Pirmet of
Paris with Case with Presentation Plaque
Inscribed from La Libertadora Dona Manuela
Saenz to Ricardo Stonhewer Illingworth,
June 1, 1830 - NSN, 16 gauge, 39 1/8 inch solid
rib bbl., brown/bright/silver finish, deluxe walnut
stock. The browned, Damascus, smoothbore
barrels have a silver bead front sight surrounded
by a cloud and lightning motif in gold, dual gold
bands at the muzzles, “BAUCHERON PIRMET
A PARIS” signed in gold on top of the barrels
with golden floral accents, gold floral motif
and bands on the rib extension on the breech
plugs, platinum lined vents, and a sunken “FR”
mark on the lower right. The standing breech
features fine floral engraving. The elegant locks
are casehardened and have “BAUCHERON/PIRMET
A PARIS” signed in gold within gold ovals below
the platinum lined rainproof priming pans, rollers
on the frizzens, floral engraving on the graceful
cocks and frizzens, eagles on the stepped tails of
the locks, and light border engraving. The inside
of the locks are dated “1822” and numbered
“664”. The silver mounts feature a variety of
beautifully executed designs. The forend cap
features Artemis with a crescent moon, arrow and
quiver, and doe in clouds. The trigger guard finial
features the Greek hero Meleager, the famous
host of the Calydonian boar hunt, depicted
nude with a spear, dog, and a boar’s head on
a pedestal. The trigger guard bow features a
hunting horn and boar hanging from a tree and a
seated dog. The buttplate features Artemis firing
her bow with a dog by her feet on the upper
finial, a pair of dogs subduing a wolf on the left,
and a dog pursuing a hare on the right. The stock
completes the hunting theme with a finely carved
boar’s head at the checkered wrist accented by
oak branches.
The case contains spare cocks and frizzens, a
casehardened ball mold, Sutton patent leather
shot flask, Sykes patent powder flask, leather
shot snake, three-piece cleaning rod, leather
sling, and a paper hang tag from W. Keith Neal to
Norman R. Blank. The case lid has a brass plaque
inscribed: “Manuela Saenz saluda al Senor/Ricardo
Stonhewer Illingworth y le/ofrece una Escopeta
por haver sido esta del uso del Liberatador./
Bogata. Junio 1 de 1830.” along with Manuela
Saenz’ personal cipher. The inscription has been
translated to: “Manuela Saenz greets Mr. Richard
Stonhewer Illingworth and offers him a Shotgun
for having been of use to the Liberator. Bogata.
June 1, 1830.” The plaque is identical to the
inscribed plaque on a pair of Boutet flintlock
pistols presented to Illingworth on the same day.
That cased pair was sold in 2004 by Christie’s for
a price realized of $1,687,500 against a $600,000-
$800,000 pre-auction estimate. Like this gun, the
pistols are identified as having been owned and
used by Bolivar. A pair of pistols by Nicolas-Noel
Boutet were also presented to Bolivar by the
Marquis de Lafayette and then given by Bolivar to
Jose Ignacio Paris around this same time. That pair
realized $1,805,000 at Christie’s in 2016 against a
$1,500,000-$2,500,000 pre-auction estimate.
This gun and the set of pistols given to Jose
Ignacio Paris were gifts of the Marquis de
Lafayette to General Bolivar in 1825-1826
together with a portrait of President George
Washington, a medal, and a lock of Washington’s
hair. Bolivar wrote to Lafayette on March 20, 1826.
His letter translated from Spanish to English by
the Georgetown University Library reads: “Dear
General: I have recently had the honor of seeing,
for the first time, the noble characters, penned by
your hand, which have so greatly benefited the
world of Columbus.
bolivarsimón