Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, 1851

Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, 1851

Alfred Gauvain

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Made by the Parisian gunsmith Alfred Gauvain (1801–1889) for display at the Great Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in London in 1851, these pistols are masterpieces of iron chiseling in the Renaissance Revival style that was popular in mid-nineteenth-century design. Designed by the sculptor and ornemanist Michel Liénard (1810–1870), they were praised at the time as works of modern art that rivaled in beauty of execution many older firearms preserved in national museums. The inspiration for the lizards, snakes, and frogs amid vine branches was perhaps provided by Renaissance goldsmith's works (silver by Wenzel Jamnitzer of Nuremberg) and ceramics (French Palissy ware).

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, 1851Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, 1851Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, 1851Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, 1851Pair of Percussion Target Pistols Made for Display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, 1851

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.