Flintlock Pistol, Revhl, Strasbourg, 18th Century

Lock signed REVHL A STRASBOURG, fitted with a half-moon shaped safety hook at the back of the hammer, counter-lock in chiseled and gilded brass in the shape of a fantastic animal, walnut mount carved in the breech tail with a floral motif, gilded brass cap representing a stylized lion's head, blued screw, trigger guard chiseled and gilded with a trophy of arms, iron ramrod, gilded brass loops. France, Strasbourg, first half of the 18th century, Heinrich Adam REUHL (REUL, REIL), arquebusier in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) 1726-1784, originally from Kronberg, a German town located in the state of Hesse. In 1726, Reuhl was a companion in the workshop of the arquebusier Christian Trincks (1714-1751), he is mentioned in the protocols of Maîtrise from 1736 to 1784. On December 10, 1732, he was admitted to the right of bourgeoisie. In 1744, Reuhl, acting as an expert, drew up the inventory of the estate of the arquebusier Antoine Pusset, gunsmith to Cardinal de Rohan. Length: 15.4 cm State of conservation: very good condition, in its original polished mirror and gilding. Slight crack on the mount. Comments: Strasbourg was a center of firearms manufacturing from the 14th century but did not really develop until the first half of the 15th century in accordance with the slow evolution of techniques. Around 1660, the city saw the appearance of the flintlock with the presence of "an external lever in the shape of a fish blocking the hammer, this safety device seeming to be specific to the Strasbourg workshops. Then its arquebusiers generalized, in the 18th century, to its ultimate degree, the French flintlock on walnut mount. In 1701, Strasbourg had 11 arquebus workshops, and saw their admission to the right of citizenship during the first half of the century. In 1769, there were only 6 masters in activity, in 1784 the workshops were only eight in number. As A. Schimpf pointed out, firearms made in Strasbourg, as well as their studies and publications (the first dating from 1955, then 1971-1973), are extremely rare. In France and even in Strasbourg, the city's historical museum has only 38 pieces from different periods, the Museum of The Army in Paris only has one example: a hallmarked hunting arquebus. While Strasbourg weapons are better represented in foreign collections, it should be noted that only the Bayerisches in Munich has a rifle (Anv. No. 13/7385) by the arquebusier in question: Heinrich Adam Reuhl. We had suggested that it was a work of mastery, but Schimpf's erudite publication specifies that, although between 1700 and 1789, the status of the craft corps was supplemented by 6 ordinances, that of 1743 instituted "the execution of a master weapon to be admitted to the status of master arquebusier" but more precisely of a rifle. From a chronological point of view of Henrich Adam Reuhl's activity and technical point of view, our pistol cannot therefore belong to this category. In the absence of any reference, particularly in private collections, we can conclude that the pistol studied here is a rare handgun, a testament to the art of arquebusiery in Strasbourg during the first half of the 18th century, from the hand of one of the last 6 masters still active in Strasbourg in 1769, and that its quality of execution suggests that it was probably a private order from a refined individual.