For the second time this year, a firearm of French nobility has outdone itself at auction. Quick on the heels of the Napoleon gun sale earlier this summer, a hunting rifle from the personal collection of King Louis XIII has just been sold by Rock Island Auction Company (RIA).
RIA had estimated this wheellock hunting rifle to sell for an estimated US$250,000 to 425,000; instead, it exceeded well beyond that, with a final price of US$881,250. It was sold on 24 August 2024, for RIA’s Premier Firearms Auction in Bedford, Texas.
The lot was easily elevated by its royal provenance and holds significant history of its own, as its unique design is hard to come across in the modern day. The high price it fetched makes the weapon the 14th most expensive gun ever sold at auction and the second most expensive French-owned firearm after Napoleon’s pistols.
Lot 1243⏐Francois Poumerol⏐Documented King Louis XIII of France Wheellock Gun Signed F.P.
Circa 1620
Gauge: 16
Barrel: 43 ⅝ inch part octagon
Stock: Hardwood
Provenance:
- Cabinet d'Armes of King Louis XIII of France
- The W. Keith Neal Collection
- The Norman R. Blank Collection
Estimate: US$250,000 - 425,000
Hammer Price: US$750,000
Sold: US$881,250
Auction House: Rock Island Company, Bedford, Texas
Auction: Premier Firearms Auction #4092
Date: 23-25 August 2024
The 1600s were a transformative time in European history. During this period of change, discovery, and conquest, the firearm had only been in Europe for less than 300 years, and it would not be until the 1500s that it became a more common implement of war. This was also the era of Louis XIII (1601-1643), who was noted for overthrowing his mother, Marie de' Medici for control of France, and crushing French Protestants in the Huguenot Rebellions. He was also an avid collector of firearms.
Gun collecting was unheard of until Louis XIII, who historians have noted was one of the, if not the first gun collector in history. A member of the Bourbon lineage, he had received his first gun as a gift at the age of three, and from there his collection ballooned.
One of his favorite pastimes was examining and maintaining his collection of forty guns, named “The Cabinet d'Armes of Louis XIII.”
This lot would have been part of Louis XIII’s personal hunting weapons collection. Even though Louis XIII was a somewhat sickly king, dying prematurely, he had a fondness and endurance for hunting. Over the years, many of the arms of the collection would be scattered; some ended up in collections or museums overseas, while others were lost to time, especially during the chaos of the French Revolution.
The coronation portrait of Louis XIII done by Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674)
What instantly stands out when looking at the gun is its design. The beautiful dark hardwood stock only serves to highlight the intricate and ornate detailing, with the two factors blending seamlessly.
Interestingly, there’s nothing on this weapon that would identify it as strictly royal, such as any noble heraldry. There are no crowns or heraldry engraved onto the weapon. Instead, its decorations were tastefully created to blend into the natural curves and shape of the weapon. This can be seen throughout the gun as described and seen below.
The weapon's butt plate continues its design of foliage and leaves, with its prioritizing its form over comfort for the shoulder
On the firing mechanism and the stock, a gold trim adorned with small flowers and shapes follows the outline of the weapon. It is only broken up by scarlet highlights on silver decorative plaques, meant to be flower heads.
Moving towards the middle of the gun, the same styling can be found on the firing mechanics as well as the steel barrel. The trigger and mechanism for setting off the gun itself are beautifully ornate. The trigger is decorated in the same floral style as the trim of the gun. The firing mechanism, meanwhile, has a more intricate design with mystical animals etched into the metal.
Along the barrel, there are further ornate designs, specifically three women representing the three Greek goddesses known as the Horae, these being Eirene (peace), represented by her dove and lamb, Eunomia (order), seen under the moon and holding both an hourglass and fruit, and finally Dike (justice), with a scale and sword.
The mystical animals which etched into the firing mechanism of the gun. Similar designs are also hidden on other metal parts of the weapon
The weapon's ornate trigger. This design being the first trigger ever implemented for a firearm
The three female figures found on the barrel of the gun
Those who look more carefully will notice that this kind of rifle is incredibly interesting due to its technical design and construction. The weapon itself is known as an arquebus, a weapon that originated in Europe and the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s. It was a kind of long handheld gun that needed to be steadied using a pole. It is also notable for being the first kind of gun requiring a trigger to fire.
Arquebusses came in two main firing forms: a matchlock that used a match to fire and a wheellock, which this lot belongs to. The wheellock was far more rare, expensive to produce, and prone to breaking. Its benefits were that it was far more responsive when the trigger was pulled, and since the design made the priming and firing of the gun one fluid motion, it made usage of the gun far faster and smoother to operate.
Because of their cost, wheellocks were never mass-produced and only used in small batches by specific units or officers who could afford them. As such, it makes sense why this was very much an artisanal item specially made and gifted to Louis XIII. It was made by Francois Poumerol, a notable Parisian gunmaker who made other guns for Louis XIII, and the origin of the F.P. signature on the weapon.
The Wheelock of the gun which is the primary firing mechanism of the weapon and what it was built and named for