A Very Fine And Rare Cased Pair Of French Silver-Mounted Flintlock Pistols Of Presentation Quality
By Boutet, Directeur Artiste, Manufacture A Versailles, No. 156, Paris Silver Marks For 1798-1809, Maker's Mark 'JM', A Star Above And Below
By Boutet, Directeur Artiste, Manufacture A Versailles, No. 156, Paris Silver Marks For 1798-1809, Maker's Mark 'JM', A Star Above And Below
With blued slightly swamped octagonal sighted barrels each signed and serial numbered along the side flats and cut with multigroove rifling, the top flats inlaid in gold gothic letters with later owner's name 'C. Rubio.', the muzzle and breech sections each decorated in gold against a matted ground, the former with an anchor and formalised foliage, the latter with maritime emblems comprising the sterns of two ships, a globe and a trident, foliage and two martial trophies above, chased gilt breeches each stamped with six maker's marks of Boutet (one Neue Støckel 95) and Leclerc (one Neue Støckel 3741), bright foliate engraved tangs, signed bright flat bevelled locks each with a line of flutes at the tail and gold-lined pan, figured full stocks each carved with half a flower-head above a line of beadwork on each side of the chequered butt above the pommel, cast and chased mounts comprising fluted side-nail plates, ovoidal pommels each with sheaves of foliage, wreathed fouled anchor and a pair of dolphins amongst reeds on each side, all against a finely matted ground, trigger-guards each with the stern of a ship on the bow and finial formed as an urn surmounted by sea-shells, faceted swelling ramrod-pipes, the rear ones issuing from the mouth of a scaled sea-monster, blued triggers, original horn-tipped wooden ramrods each with iron cap, and in fine condition overall: in original fitted mahogany-veneered case (lid scratched and split) lined in green baize with light green ribbon borders and full accessories including bright steel bullet mould serial numbered to the pistols (powder-flask recovered)
26.3 cm. barrels
26.3 cm. barrels
Sold for
£162,000
inc. premium
Footnotes
- Provenance:
Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing GCB, KBE, DSO. Almost certainly acquired from his friend and fellow collector W. Keith Neal
'Frankie' Festing (1902-1976) was educated at Winchester College before being commissioned into the 3rd Battalion the Rifle Brigade in 1921. In 1940 he became Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment and then in 1942 Commander of 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group which was the landing force of Force 121 for Operation Ironclad, the seizure of Vichy French ports and airfields in the Indian Ocean, notably Madagascar. In November 1942 he took command of 36th Indian Division, which included 29th Infantry Brigade, and at the beginning of 1944 led it in the final stages of the Arakan offensive of the Burma Campaign. In mid-1944 the division moved to Northern Burma as part of the US led Northern Combat Area Command before rejoining 14th Army. Festing had a reputation as a front line soldier and on 29 October 1944 he personally led the advance platoon of the 36th British Division into Mawlu. He was Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong between 1945 and 1946, and again from June to September in 1949. He became General Officer Commanding British Troops in Egypt in 1952, General Officer Commanding Eastern Command in 1945 and Commander-in-Chief Far East Land Forces in 1956. From 1958 to 1961 he was Chief of the Imperial General staff
Exhibited:
H.M. Tower of London, 1986-1996
The Royal Armouries, Leeds, 1996-2010
Nicolas-Noël Boutet (1761-1833) is considered to be one of the greatest recorded gunmakers. From 1793 to 1818 he was artistic director of the Manfacture Nationale de Versailles where he was responsible for the production of some of the finest luxury and presentation arms ever made
Category: Arms and Armour
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