Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the 1844 Exposition des Produits de l'Industrie in Paris

Alfred Gauvain|Michel Liénard|Léopold Bernard

dated 1844 · Steel, wood (ebony) · Arms and Armor

Created by the celebrated gunsmith Alfred Gauvain (1801–1889) for display at the Exhibition of French Industry in Paris in 1844, these pistols are masterpieces of iron chiseling in the Gothic Revival style. Designed by the sculptor and ornemanist Michel Liénard (1810–1870), they typify the imaginative conception and superb execution of the most elaborate firearms created by Parisian gunmakers to show off their skills at the industrial exhibitions and world fairs held in Paris, London, and elsewhere throughout the nineteenth century. At the 1844 exhibition, where they were awarded a silver medal, Gauvain's works were praised not so much for the richness of their materials, but rather their pure finish and artistic execution.

Artist

Alfred Gauvain|Michel Liénard|Léopold Bernard

Date

dated 1844

Medium

Steel, wood (ebony)

Culture

French, Paris

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Bequest, 2013