Lepage's fatal trunks...
The Le Page firm made not only dueling pistols, as one might think from reading Pushkin and Lermontov, but also weapon in general. And in particular, these Empire-style flintlock pistols, numbers 1 and 2, signed "Le Page, Paris"
He tells the servant to get ready
Go with him and with yourself
Take also the combat box.
The running sleds are ready.
He sat down and flew to the mill.
Have rushed. He orders the servant
Lepage fatal trunks
Carry after him, and the horses
Drive into the field to two oak trees.
“Eugene Onegin”, A. S. Pushkin
Go with him and with yourself
Take also the combat box.
The running sleds are ready.
He sat down and flew to the mill.
Have rushed. He orders the servant
Lepage fatal trunks
Carry after him, and the horses
Drive into the field to two oak trees.
“Eugene Onegin”, A. S. Pushkin
Weapon stories. No, our Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin wasn't exactly a great patriot: he kept adding something foreign to his novel "Eugene Onegin": a Bolivar, a Breguet. And he even dispatched his own Lensky with French Lepage pistols, as if he didn't know or couldn't find Russian dueling pistols. No, he gravitated toward the very best. But then again, who he moved among, what objects he held dear—that's what he wrote about; it's no wonder "Onegin" is considered an "encyclopedia of Russian life" of the time.
This same pair. You can't help but admire the engraving!
Yes, but who exactly is this Lepage, and what is he so famous for? It's about him that we'll be talking today...
It so happened that a certain Louis Pigny, a firearms manufacturer, opened his workshop in 1717 on Rue Beyif (now Rue Bon-Enfant) in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. In 1735 and 1756, he received two royal patents from King Louis XV, clearly demonstrating the high quality of his products, and then… Then he handed over his business to Pierre Lepage, who married his niece.
A rifle made by Le Page for the First Consul of France, 1800. Army Museum, Paris
And this is its muzzle with clearly visible rifling!
Pierre himself was born in Normandy in 1709, then moved to Paris in 1723, where he apprenticed himself to the master gunsmith Mazilier. That same year, he began working for Louis Pigny. After Pigny's death in 1743, Lepage, already a firearms master, inherited his gunsmithing business. He also changed the company's name from "Pigny" to "Le Page" (or "Lepage"). In 1759, the company moved to 13 rue de Richelieu.
Napoleon's double-barreled hunting shotgun, an over-and-under, 1806. Museum of Hunting and Nature, Paris
Her flintlock…
Pierre Lepage became the first supplier of firearms to Marshal Maurice of Saxony and then to the House of Orleans, before passing the company on to his nephew Jean Lepage.
Another pair of La Page double-barreled flintlock pistols. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
And this is how they were sold. In an elegant box with all the accessories!
Jean Lepage (1746–1834), who ran the firm from 1779 to 1822, expanded its arms production to such an extent that his clients, in addition to the House of Orleans, included King Louis XVI, Napoleon Bonaparte, and King Louis XVIII. Like his uncle, he was born in Normandy. Upon arriving in Paris, he initially aspired to become a chemist. But in 1764, he eventually began an apprenticeship with Pierre Le Page. His apprenticeship lasted four years. He then succeeded his uncle, who awarded him a master's certificate in 1780. Jean Lepage led the family business during the First French Empire, steadily enhancing the brand's reputation for innovation and craftsmanship. The factory became renowned for producing pistols, luxurious blades, and swords that rivaled the weapons of Nicolas-Noël Boutet of Versailles. During this time, the company introduced a number of technical innovations and received numerous patents. In 1822, he passed on his business to his son, Jean-André-Prosper-Henri (1792–1854), who successfully continued his father's work. However, he lived only 12 more years after this, dying in Paris in 1834 at the age of 88!
And here's another funny thing: the engraving on this pair was different!
During his long life, Jean Lepage accomplished much, becoming a renowned gunsmith and inventor. In 1809, he invented a hermetically sealed percussion cap lock using mercury fulminate percussion caps. In 1817, he produced the first water-resistant rifle, and in 1821, a double-hammer lock for a rifle and pistol. All of Jean Lepage's developments essentially became the foundation for all subsequent developments in firearms. And his achievements were not only noticed but also celebrated: in 1819, he received a prestigious award from the French Industrial Exhibition.
A double-barreled flintlock sporting rifle belonging to Napoleon I Bonaparte. The Le Page family firm was a leading manufacturer of luxury firearms for the French nobility in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Jean Le Page was royal gunsmith to the French King Louis XVI (1774-93) and, after the Revolution, to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1804-21), who commissioned this weapon. The rifle is inscribed with the imperial monogram "N" (in honor of Napoleon) in two places. Luxury weapons were sporting arms intended for hunting or target shooting and often featured exquisite decoration. These finely crafted guns and their accessories also served as suitable diplomatic gifts for prominent figures, including kings, nobles, ambassadors, and military leaders. Luxury firearms were true works of art, employing the skills of gunners, wood carvers, chiselsmiths, jewelers, inlay workers, and their largest receivers. engraved fonts. Due to their "luxury" nature and sometimes commemorative purpose, such firearms were often intended for collectors and personal use. They are skillfully carved from precious woods, decorated with personal monograms, coats of arms, and silver mounts, and often inlaid with intricate designs of mother-of-pearl, bone, and ivory. Date: 1809. Technique: blued steel with gilt trim; walnut butt; carved mounts. Dimensions: overall length: 116,8 cm; barrel length: 76,3 cm; caliber: 16 mm. Cleveland Museum of Art
His clients included people such as Armand Augustin Louis de Caulaincourt, Duke of Vincennes, Baron Gaspard Gourgaud, Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy, General Charles de Flahaut, Marquise Catherine-Dominique de Pérignon, Marshal André Masséna, Duke of Rivoli, Baron Daru, General Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo and perfumer Jean-François Houbigant.
The fashion for percussion pistols came, and Le Page immediately released this portable “percussion pistol” with a folding trigger.
The barrel could be unscrewed for loading!
And these are the capsules for it.
And here is a powder flask-dispenser!
During this period, a gun for Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orleans, was donated to the Porte des Hales Museum in Brussels, and the sword of Bonaparte's First Consul was displayed at the Château de Malmaison. The Museum of Hunting and Nature in Paris also houses several Lepage guns. These include two guns belonging to Emperor Napoleon I, part of a series made in 1775 for King Louis XVI and modified around 1806; a flintlock gun belonging to King Louis XVIII; and a box containing a pair of flintlock guns for children, a gift from King Charles X to the Duke of Bordeaux, the future Count of Chambord.
A pair of percussion pistols in a case with loading and cleaning accessories, made for Henri Charles Ferdinand Marie Dieudonné d'Artois, Duke of Bordeaux, Count of Chambord (1820-1883). Gunsmith Jean André Prosper Henri Le Page. Date of manufacture: 1829. These pistols were made for nine-year-old Henri d'Artois (1820-1883), the last of the Bourbon royal dynasty. They bear the French fleurs-de-lis and the owner's crown monogram. Master Henri Le Page served the restored French monarchy as armourer to the king. The gold leaf engraving, inlaid flush with the case surface, recalls the style popular during the Napoleonic era, when his father served Napoleon in the same capacity. Materials: steel, gold, wood (ebony, walnut), silver, velvet, ivory. Dimensions: length 28,6 cm; barrels 17 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Le Page's shop was located at 13 rue de Richelieu (became 950 rue de la Loi during the Revolution), near the Palais-Royal, making it a strategic location in 1789 and 1830. The Le Page family appears to have been heavily involved in the preparations for the storming of the Bastille and, during the "Three Glorious Days," was responsible for distributing weapons to the people.
Two cap-and-ball dueling pistols. Gunsmith: Gilles Michel Louis Moutier-Le Page. Decorator: Antoine Wechter. Barrel by Léopold Bernard. Dated 1851. These are the only known pistols commissioned by the renowned Parisian arms firm Le Page. Their designer was Antoine Wechter (1799–1868), a masterful silversmith, sculptor, and stonecutter, who was once called the "Cellini of the 19th century" in honor of the outstanding Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini. These pistols are unique in that they are made entirely of steel and decorated with original figurative ornamentation in the Renaissance style. The first pistol was unfinished when its brother was presented at the French Industrial Exhibition in Paris in 1849. Wechter likely completed its modifications in London, where he emigrated. The pistol was exhibited at the Great Exhibition of Industrial Products of All Nations in London in 1851, where it received a medal. Material: steel, gold. Dimensions: length 40,3 cm, barrel length 26,0 cm, caliber 11,7 mm. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
In short, the Le Page weapons became famous throughout the world. Now it was time to develop them further, so that the family line could continue the legacy. And the Le Page family partly succeeded in doing just that…
To be continued ...
P.S. Photos in the text without signatures belong to A. Dobress
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