Skip to Content
Closed now, next open tomorrow. Closed now, next open tomorrow.

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Flintlock Fowling Piece Given by the Empress Catherine II of Russia to the French Ambassador

A work made of steel, gilding, silver, walnut, and horn.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of steel, gilding, silver, walnut, and horn.

Date:

1745 and 1763

Artist:

Russian, Tula

About this artwork

Under Catherine the Great of Russia the arms center of Tula produced many luxury firearms after the Western European style for use at court and as diplomatic gifts. This fowling piece was part of a set of hunting weapons given by the empress to the French ambassador Louis Charles Auguste le Tonnelier, Baron de Breteuil, in 1763, commemorated on the gilt face of the lock plate. The earlier date of 1745, engraved under the front spring on the lock, shows that the gun was older at the time it was given and perhaps redecorated. The barrel is a remarkable tour de force of a technique, called goldschmelz in German, whereby the barrel was acid etched with a pattern, filled in with gold, and then polished and blued to create a brilliant contrast.

Status

On View, Gallery 239

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Artist

Ilya Salishchev

Title

Flintlock Fowling Piece Given by the Empress Catherine II of Russia to the French Ambassador

Place

Central Asia (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1745–1770

Medium

Steel, gilding, silver, walnut, and horn

Dimensions

L. 150 cm (59 in.) Barrel L. 110.8 cm (43 5/8 in.) Wt. 7 lb. 7 oz. Caliber .60

Credit Line

George F. Harding Collection

Reference Number

1982.2305

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/106444/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms