Item ref: 3037
Collection of William Goodwin Renwick, sold by Sotheby’s London in European, Part VII of the Renwick auctions, 23rd July 1974, Lot 63; Then to the Richard Trethaway Collection, Canada, and the
Eric Vaule Collection, Connecticut, United States
This gun is one of very few recorded pieces bearing the name Jaques Aubert. One example is a pair of finely flintlock pistols which were also formerly part of the WG Renwick Collection. These were sold by Sotheby’s, London, in the Renwick auctions European Part III, on the 19th March 1973, Lot 59.
Below the pan the lockplate of this fine sporting gun is engraved with the maker’s name; Jaques Aubert / A Geneve. There were just three gunmakers with that surname who are recorded as having worked in Geneva in the 17th century; Jean, his son Jaques and his grandson, also named Jaques. This gun is most likely to have been made by the elder of the two Jaques (1621-1706).
It follows a style of long-barrelled sporting guns which became popular for wildfowling in the Low Countries in the middle years of the 17th century. As with other types of Dutch firearms of this period any applied decoration was kept to a tasteful minimum as the fashion was for simplicity, slenderness and elegance of line. The long barrels of wildfowling guns of this period were intended to help keep a charge of shot together for a greater distance than one fired from a shorter barrel, but despite their considerable length guns of this type are known for their lightness and good balance. They could be handled and aimed with surprising ease.
While this gun was built in a style usually regarded as typically Dutch its lock has chiselled and engraved decoration which appears to have been inspired by designs found among those published by several 17th century French gunmakers. Instantly notable is that the tail of the lockplate is chiselled in low relief with the head of a grotesque dog-like creature with ears formed as leaves. While features such as this occur most often on Dutch firearms of this period designs for similar motifs can be found among those by the French gunmaker François Marcou, which he published in 1657. Lockplates of similar form to that of this gun and designs for flowing naturalistic floral decoration very like that finely engraved on its cock can be found among designs which Thomas Picquot published in Paris in 1638, although the coiled snake forming the head of the screw securing the cock may have been of Aubert’s own contribution. The arm of the steel is engraved with a dog and snake in conflict, and this might have been inspired by a similar motif contained within the designs published by Jean Berain in Paris in 1659.