Cased Pair of Percussion Pistols with Accessories
1814
Medium
Steel, gold, silver, brass, lead, copper, walnut, rosewood, Hungarian ash, horn, and leather
Dimensions
L. (each): 37.5 cm (14 3/4 in.) Barrel L. 24.7 cm (9 3/4 in.) Wt. 1 lb. 14 oz. Caliber .52
Classification
firearm-handgun
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
106474
Art Historical Context
This exquisite cased pair of percussion pistols, crafted the renowned Parisian gunsmith Jean Le Page 1814, exemplifies pinnacle of early 19th-century European arms-making. Le Page, from a dynasty of master gunsmiths favored by royalty, produced these .52-caliber pistols—each 37.5 cm long with 24.7 cm barrels—for collectors or officers. Housed in a fitted case with accessories like powder flasks and cleaning tools, they blend lethal precision with opulent decoration, reflecting the transition from battlefield utility to status symbols amid the Napoleonic era's end. The pistols' percussion mech...