Mother-of-Pearl Finished Weapons
French-Dutch flintlock buttstock, circa 1650. Craftsman Johan Eberhard Sommer. Solid walnut stock with early French style stock. On the right side, a scene is carved covering the entire surface of the stock: a horseman in ancient armor, and in the foreground a bearded warrior sitting on the ground, supported by two soldiers, and in front of him is a young man holding the reins of a horse. The Latin text is carved along the bottom edge: "Scipio, whom rich Africa gave a great name, already as a boy protects his father, who is fighting on the banks of the Trebia, from danger". Far right caption: "Johan EberHart // Somer". On the opposite side, the surface of the stock is decorated with silver wire inlay with leaves and flowers from engraved mother-of-pearl plates. Among the flowers are 17 birds of various species, including an owl and five peacocks, in the center one with a folded tail. Weight 2520 g. Overall dimensions: total length 1555 mm; barrel length 1162 mm. Livrustkammaren or the Royal Treasury is a museum in the Royal Palace of Stockholm, Sweden
“From the tousled hair of one of the naked men, he pulled out a fine handmade comb inlaid with mother-of-pearl.”
“Their long black war-boats, sharp-nosed, carved and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, they dragged ashore at the Meringe plantation.”
"Jerry the Islander" J. London
stories about weapons. As a child, I really liked Jack London's Jerry the Islander. There were adventures of people and animals that thrilled my childhood soul and very beautiful descriptions - in particular, native pirogues and tomahawks inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Moreover, I knew very well that it was very beautiful, since in our house there was a Chinese lacquer box trimmed with ivory and mother-of-pearl. So I assumed the pies of the Solomon Islands to be similar to this box - the same black, lacquered, and with bright mother-of-pearl inserts that glare in the sun. Later, I learned that this was not entirely true, but the love for mother-of-pearl remained forever. At the first opportunity, I bought myself a Vietnamese-made chess set with mother-of-pearl carved fields, and then I also found out that firearms were also trimmed with mother-of-pearl - both guns and pistols, and pistols with mother-of-pearl handles have not disappeared even today. Well, about how it was - a weapon with a mother-of-pearl finish, today our story will go.
Butt of the same gun from the opposite side, decorated with wood carvings. Livrustkammaren or the Royal Treasury is a museum in the Royal Palace of Stockholm, Sweden
The Greeks and Romans knew mother-of-pearl, but rarely used it. Although there historical records showing that it was mother-of-pearl that decorated the walls of the palace of Emperor Nero. But in Asian countries it was a widespread material. And just from the East, mother-of-pearl gradually came to the West. They began to decorate household items, various decorations. In the Middle Ages, mother-of-pearl shells set in gold and silver were used to make cups for the nobility, and in the XNUMXth century in Palestine, icons inlaid with mother-of-pearl were sold to pilgrims, who willingly bought them. In addition, it turned out that if there are problems with the delivery of ivory, then they simply cannot be with mother-of-pearl, because ordinary pearl barley shells are found everywhere in Europe, and they also have mother-of-pearl.
Some craftsmen managed to make even sword handles from mother-of-pearl! The fact is that the combat rapier of the 1700th century. by about 97,8 it had evolved into a lighter and more refined weapon known as a sword. Swords, often richly decorated, remained an integral part of the gentleman's wardrobe until the civilian use of swords fell out of fashion in the late 10,2th century, when pistols replaced swords as the weapon most commonly used in duels. Most of the hilts of these swords were made of silver or steel, but in some cases a wide range of luxurious materials were used, such as gold, porcelain and enamel. The result was such an elegant weapon that could also be worn as a work of art. Dimensions: length 7 cm; guard width 374,2 cm; blade width XNUMX cm. Weight XNUMX g. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
At the same time, many masters put mother-of-pearl above ivory, since it was more difficult to work with it, more skill and patience were required, but the decorative effect was even higher, since mother-of-pearl shone and shimmered in the sun. Well, it is clear that already in the XNUMXth century and later they immediately began to decorate hunting weapons.
A fairly "budget" matchlock musket made in the Netherlands in 1600-1650. Dimensions: total length 158,3 cm; barrel 118 cm. Weight 6,4 kg. The buttstock is inlaid with a cow horn and round and oval pieces of mother-of-pearl, with foliage engraved on larger pieces, hunters on foot and on horseback and lions are depicted; the rest of the wood is adorned here and there with brass decorative handles in the form of leaves. Rijksmuseum is an art museum in Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Another matchlock musket with buttstock and stock, decorated with mother-of-pearl inlays. Made in the Netherlands in 1600-1625. Overall length 159,6 cm, barrel length 122 cm. Caliber 18,9 mm. Weight 5,2 kg. Rijksmuseum is an art museum in Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Subsequently, the attitude towards the decoration of weapons has changed. Richly decorated examples became rare, but the use of mother-of-pearl in the practice of weapons, in spite of everything, continued into the XNUMXth century.
First of all, mother-of-pearl began to be used to make patch plates for the handles of pistols and revolvers. For this, rather thick mother-of-pearl from large sea shells was used, which had both strength and a very pleasant color and luster. Outwardly, this material practically did not differ from pearls. And pearls have always been in fashion!
Moreover, there was practically no system of this or that pistol or revolver, in which at least one model was produced with a mother-of-pearl handle. Actually, there was a kind of competition of materials that potential buyers liked. For some, pistols and revolvers were equipped with ivory handles (and such a finish was considered “male”), for others - from mother-of-pearl - just as traditionally perceived as an element of weapons for ladies!
For example, T. J. Stafford's classic single-shot derringer, factory engraved and silver plated, came with mother-of-pearl grips and an original suede holster. Caliber .22S Short. Photo littlegun.be
As you know, Colt began to produce the first revolvers at a factory in Peterson, New Jersey (1836-1842), and from 1847 he began production at a larger factory in Hartford, Connecticut. Moreover, highly qualified craftsmen, many of whom were Germans, worked in a special workshop at the factory in Hartford, who produced gift models of his revolvers. Their ornamental motifs, still popular in American gunsmithing, are based on delicate scrollwork. Animal and human figures, as well as allegorical representations, were added to flower garlands, sometimes embellished with gold and silver inlay, especially on luxury firearms made for exhibition and display, or as personal gifts from Colt to prominent individuals, including several heads of state.
In the photo, his first Colt-Peterson revolver, which was already produced, including with a handle that had mother-of-pearl overlays. Dimensions: length 35,56 cm; barrel length 22,86 cm. Caliber 0,40 in. (10 mm). Produced approx. 1840 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Smith & Wesson firm, which was the first to launch cartridge revolvers in the United States, also decided to keep up and released another revolver with a mother-of-pearl handle.
"Smith & Wesson" 1st model 3rd edition with mother-of-pearl overlays on the handle. Produced from 1868 to 1881. Photo littlegun.be
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an 1869 revolver, which belongs to the exclusive group of Smith and Wesson revolvers with numerous engraved and gold decorations, produced for display at international exhibitions and as gifts to heads of state, celebrities and important company officials at the end of 1860-1870 -s years. Smith and Wesson gave one such revolver to President Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) in 1870 (now in the Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, California), and it is likely that a revolver emblazoned in much the same way and theme the same engraver a year earlier from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, became the basis for its design.
The decoration of the revolver was done by the German-American engraver Gustave Young (1827–1895), who emigrated to the United States in 1853 and engraved for Colt from 1853-1858 and then had a long association with Smith and Wesson. This revolver testifies to the central role played by immigrants from Europe in shaping the decorative tradition of American firearms from the 1850s onwards. Like other American firearms of the era, decorated by German-trained immigrant engravers, its engraving echoes contemporary trends in Western European firearm decoration and is based on drawings published in German and Belgian firearms design books in the 1840s and 1850s. gg.
The famous Colt Peacemaker of 1873 also received a mother-of-pearl handle. Photo by littlegun.be
When the era of pistols began, mother-of-pearl finish of the handles appeared even on such "useless" models as "Charola and Anitua". Photo forgottenweapons
Another pistol of a very original design, and not automatic, but with a mechanical drive, is Auguste Francotte's micropistol. Photo littlegun.be
Later, mother-of-pearl firmly occupied its commodity niche: with mother-of-pearl "cheeks" they began to mass-produce small-sized "ladies' pistols" and, on the contrary, gift versions of the same "Colt-1911".
For example, the Browning pistol model 1906, modified after his death by his student Dieudonne Saive, was in great demand in the arms market of the last century. Due to the specifics of the agreement between FN and Colt, there were two such pistols on the market at once, somewhat different in design and appearance. Because of their tiny size, they have become typical ladies' pistols. Moreover, initially models were produced with engraving and nickel plating, as well as with mother-of-pearl handles.
Information