Nicholas-Noël Boutet & Jean LePage

[fernando]

Welcome to the forum, survtech .
I know from talks with collector historian Rainer Daehnhardt that he is a great fan of Jean LePage. I remember visiting an exhibition where he had for show an interesting pair of Portuguese barrels made in 1584, which were later mounted on a pair of pistols by LePage in 1811. Pity i don't have clear pictures of the pistols themselves.


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[fernando]

Originally Posted by fernando

... Pity i don't have clear pictures of the pistols themselves...

For yours and all interested members delight, here is a set of pictures of these great pistols, a kind courtesy of Professor Rainer Daehnhardt.
As previously noted,these barrels were manufactured in Lisbon in 1584 for the Duke Don Diego de Gomez de Silva y Mendoza, a noble Luso Spaniard, Captain General of the Portuguese frontier, later Vice Roy of the Kingdom (1564-1630). They were remounted under commission in Paris in 1811 by Napoleon's gun smith Jean Lepage, exclusively for the reuse of these magnificent pair of Portuguese barrels.
It is known that Le Page used to produce all guns for Napoleon's personal use, as being preferred by him to those of Boutet, due to a flaw in their nechanism.



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[fernando]

A couple more ...



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[Fernando K]

With all due respect, allow me to doubt. The cannons seem very elaborate to be from 1584. The fire gilding, the chiseling work...
Affectionately

[corrado26]

This boxlock pistol proves that Lepage not only made the most valuable pieces, but also pistols for the common man - unfortunately in not particularly good condition.

[fernando]

No problem with that, Udo. But ... is that an authentic mark of Jean Lepage ?

[corrado26]

May be yes, may be no, I don't know it, its condition is too bad to decide it, but the style of the wood is very similar to the works of Le Page.

[survtech]

Fernando, thank you for posting the photographs; the history is interesting....


With regard to the pocket pistol; it is known that LePage also retailed Liege-made pistols from his Paris shop.

[survtech]

Originally Posted by corrado26

This boxlock pistol proves that Lepage not only made the most valuable pieces, but also pistols for the common man - unfortunately in not particularly good condition.

The first photograph is from a Liege pistol.
The second photograph is from a Boutet pistol.
The third photograph is from a LePage pistol.
The fourth photograph is from a Jean Aubron pistol.

Fish-scale carving is quite common in pocket pistols.

Kind regards

Mike