Beschreibung:

An Extremely Fine 20-Bore French Silver-Mounted D.B. Flintlock Presentation Gun By Boutet et Fils Versailles, No. 565, early 19th Century With blued twist barrels retaining nearly all their original bright colour, signed and numbered in gold on the rib and overlaid at the breeches and muzzles and around the silver fore-sight with Empire decoration on a matted ground, each breech struck on the underside with barrelsmith's mark 'FR' crowned, grooved finely engraved tang, signed flat locks finely engraved with differing animals and each with raised pan, figured walnut full stock (minor chips) finely carved in relief in the neo-classical taste, full silver mounts finely cast and chased in high relief with further neo-classical ornament involving a satyr-mask, an owl-mask and animal-heads, the rear ramrod-pipe with an eagle, and the butt-plate with griffins, behind the grip a silver winged monster's mask, engraved iron trigger-plate, chequered triggers, and original horn-tipped ramrod with worm, French silver marks for 1798-1809 including the grosse garantie poinon of the Seine-Infrieure Dpartement , maker's mark NB, a pistol between 32in. (81.3cm.) barrels Believed, according to tradition, to have been presented by Napoleon I to General Count Henri-Gratien Bertrand (1773-1844), one of his most loyal friends, and his companion in exile, first at Elba (1814-15), then at St. Helena (1815-21) Bertrand entered the army at the age of 19 as an engineer and accompanied the emperor on all his campaigns. He was named aide-de-camp to Napoleon in 1804, was created a count in 1808, and appointed marchal des palais in 1813. His Cahiers de Sainte-Hlne , 1816-21 , provide a frank account of Napoleon's character and life in exile In 1840, with the Prince de Joinville, he escorted the emperor's mortal remains to Paris for their final burial, and was himself interred in the Invalides During the 19th Century his name was commonly used as a byword for loyalty and devotion A very similar Boutet double gun (No. 613) was recently acquired by the Scottish United Services Museum, Edinburgh. It was presented by the Duc de Berry to Lieutenant-General George Don, lieutenant-governor of Jersey in 1814. See The National Art Collections Fund 1997 Review , p. 158, No. 4519 The same trigger-guard and silver winged monster's mask behind the grip both appear on a Boutet double gun in the Wallace Collection (No. A 1127)