Over-and-Under Percussion Pistol bearing the Crest of the Polhill Family

Joseph Egg

ca. 1815–20; converted ca. 1825 · Steel, wood (walnut), brass, gold, platinum · Arms and Armor

Joseph Egg, one of the preeminent gunmakers in London in the early 19th century, specialized in double-barreled pistols, of which this is a good example. Originally fitted with flintlocks, it was later converted by a different gunsmith to percussion locks, a more advanced mechanism, probably in the 1820s or 1830s. Conversion was a common and economical method of updating a firearm as technology advanced. The crests engraved on the butt cap and grip escutcheon indicate that it belonged to a member of the Polehill family of Sussex and Kent.

Artist

Joseph Egg

Date

ca. 1815–20; converted ca. 1825

Medium

Steel, wood (walnut), brass, gold, platinum

Culture

British, London

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of Christian A. Zabriskie, 1940