Product Details
BUILT EXPRESSLY FOR THE 1901 PARIS EXHIBITION
J. PURDEY & SONS
A FINE 10-BORE (2 7/8IN.)SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR LIVE PIGEON GUN, serial no. 16613,
31in. nitro chopperlump barrels, broad rib engraved 'J. PURDEY & SONS. AUDLEY HOUSE. SOUTH AUDLEY STREET. LONDON. MADE OF SIR JOSEPH WHITWORTH'S FLUID PRESSED STEEL', 2 7/8in. chambers, bored approx. 3/4 choke in both, large treble-grip action with hidden third bite, side-clips, removable striker discs, automatic safety with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' detail, arrow cocking-indicators, the fences deeply carved in high relief with oak leaves and acorns, best fine bouquet and scroll engraving, retaining traces of original colour-hardening and finish, 14 5/8in. highly-figured stock including well-matched 1 5/8in. wooden extension, weight 8lb. 6oz.
Provenance: The makers have kindly informed us that this shotgun was completed February 1901 with 31in. barrels. It was built expressly for the Paris Exhibition before being sold to P. Martinez Rivas.
The Exposition Universelle's origins date to 1855 when the first event was held. The thinking was to fuel pride and faith in each nation's achievements following a protracted period of war in Europe. The exhibition opened in 1900 in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, which had been built for a previous expo' in 1889, and must have presented a remarkable spectacle. Science and industry were undergoing sea-changes and many new and seemingly fantastical exhibits were unveiled including escalators, 'big' wheels, Rudolf Diesel and his new compression-acting engine, talking films and a multitude of others. This shotgun would have been displayed by the makers in the British Pavilion and sold sometime after the exposition closed in the autumn of 1901.
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Estimate £10,000-15,000