Double-Barreled Flintlock Shotgun

This Double-Barreled Flintlock Shotgun is one of the richest and ornate firearms made after the Restoration of the monarchy in France in 1815. Its decoration is reminiscent of the style fashionable before the French Revolution.

The owner prized this gun so much that he commissioned skilled gun makers to produce a similarly decorated set of barrels and locks using percussion caps, after a more advanced method of ignition were developed.

This shotgun was made by Nicolas-Noël Boutet (1761 – 1833), who was a French gunsmith who was the director of the Versailles state arms factory.

He was “gunmaker-in-ordinary” to King Louis XVI of France, and during the revolution, he worked for Napoleon as director of the state arms manufactory.

Flintlock

Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint striking ignition mechanism. The flintlock, which was introduced in the early 17th century and replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the match-lock and wheel-lock. 

Flintlock continued to be in common use for over two centuries, replaced by percussion cap and, later, the cartridge-based systems in the early-to-mid 19th century.

Firearms using some form of flintlock mechanism were the primary form of weapons for over 200 years. The transition to percussion cap was a slow one, as a result of the flintlock’s long active life, it left a lasting legacy on our language.

Terms such as: “lock, stock, and barrel,” “going off half-cocked,” and “flash in the pan” stayed current in English.

Also, the weapon holding positions and drill commands that were originally devised to standardize carrying, loading and firing a flintlock weapon remained the standard for drill and display.

Double-Barreled

The time needed to reload, led to the need for flintlocks to be produced with two or more barrels for multiple shots. 

Most flintlocks were made built at a time before modern manufacturing processes became common. Even in mass-produced weapons, parts were often handmade.

Machine-made, interchangeable parts began to be used just before flintlocks were replaced by cap locks.

Bourbon Restoration

The French Revolution and Napoleonic eras brought significant changes to France. However, after the Bourbon restoration, the old aristocracy returned and recovered much of the land they owned.

However, they ultimately lost all their ancient feudal rights and became more conservative. France was slow to industrialize, but there was an emerging French nationalism that showed its national pride in the Army, and foreign affairs.

Double-Barreled Flintlock Shotgun

• Title:              Double-Barreled Flintlock Shotgun
• Date:             1818–20
• Geography:    French
• Gunsmith:       Nicolas Noël Boutet (French, 1761–1833)
• Materials:        Steel, gold, wood (walnut), silver, horn
• Culture:           French, Versailles, and Paris
• Dimensions:    L. of gun 47 3/8 in. (120.3 cm); Wt. of gun 6 lbs. 15 oz. (3150 g);
• Museum:        Metropolitan Museum of Art – MET

Antique Guns – HW Mortimer flintlock shotgun c 1823

The rifles and muskets that fired on Napoleon

MET Greek and Roman Art Collection

• Statue of a Kouros
• Amathus Sarcophagus
• Mycenaean Terracotta Female Figures

MET Egyptian Art Collection

• The Temple of Dendur
• The Sphinx of Hatshepsut
• William the Faience Hippopotamus

MET Asian Art Collection

• Luohan – Yixian Glazed Ceramic Sculpture
• Pillow with Landscape Scenes – Zhang Family Workshop
• Jar with Dragon

MET Ancient Near Eastern Art Collection

• Sumerian Standing Male Worshiper
• Head of a Beardless Royal Attendant – Eunuch
• Human-Headed Winged Bull (Lamassu)

MET Islamic Art Collection

• Blue Qur’an
• Marble Jar of Zayn al-Din Yahya Al-Ustadar
• The Damascus Room

MET Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas Collection

• Benin Ivory Mask
• African Face Mask – Kpeliye’e
• Sican Funerary Mask – Peru
• Ceremonial Axe – Papua New Guinea

MET European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Collection

• “Hercules the Archer” by Antoine Bourdelle
• “Orpheus and Eurydice” by Auguste Rodin
• “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” by Antonio Canova

MET Medieval Art Collection

• “The Last Supper” by Ugolino di Nerio
• Plaque with the Journey to Emmaus and Noli Me Tangere
• Doorway from the Church of San Nicolò, San Gemini

MET Drawings and Prints Collection

• Album of Tournaments and Parades in Nuremberg
• “Canvassing for Votes” by William Hogarth
• “Christ and the Woman of Samaria” by Rembrandt

MET Costume Institute Collection

• Bodice
• Cardinal Cape
• Doublet

MET Arms and Armor Collection

• Blade and Mounting for a Sword (Katana)
• Double-Barreled Flintlock Shotgun

MET Photograph Collection

• Loie Fuller Dancing
• Sala Delle Statue, Vatican
• Gardner’s Photographic Sketchbook of the War

MET Musical Instrument Collection

• Ming-Dynasty Pipa
• Grand Piano
• Bass Fluegel Horn in B-flat

Shooting the Pedersoli 20 ga flintlock double shotgun

Flintlock Shotguns

~~~

“A bad craftsman blames his tools.“
– French Proverb

~~~

Photo Credit: 1) Metropolitan Museum of Art [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Join – The JOM Membership Program

Sponsor a Masterpiece with YOUR NAME CHOICE for $5

• Twitter
• Facebook

Share this:

• Tweet
• 
• Email

20 January 2020, 12:52 | Views: 9792