Gun with Flintlock a la moda
Gabriel de Algora
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
With the accession in 1700 of the duke of Anjou as Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, French fashion predominated in the Spanish court. The new taste is readily evident in the duecoration of firearms made during the first half of the eighteenth century, when Madrid gunmakers turned to firearms pattern books published in Paris for up-to-date French designs. This flintlock gun is one of the most splendid manifestations of the French rococo style as it was adopted by gunmakers in the Spanish capital. The maker of this hunting gun, Gabriel de Algora, was appointed gunmaker to King Ferdinand IV in 1749. There is little doubt, however, that he had important commissions from the court in the years prior to that date, among them, perhaps, this gun. The gun is one of Algora's masterpieces. Its barrel, typically Spanish in style, is blued, the rear half engraved and gilt with foliated strapwork and figures of Mars and Minerva; the breech is stamped with the maker's gold mark and countermark and is inscribed across the top in large letters, ALGORA EN MADRID. The stock is carved in relief around the mounts, which include a dragon head at the grip. The lock, inscribed with the maker's name and the date, is of a la moda type, combining external French flintlock appearance with indigenous Spanish miquelet construction. The mounts on the other hand, are purely French in medium and style. Their bright steel is chiseled in relief against a stippled gold ground, and the decoration includes references to learning (Minerva), to the hunt (Adonis), and, especially appropriate for the rococo style, to love (Diana and Endymion, Eros and Anteros). The mounts are noteworthy not only for their exceptionally fine chiseling but also because their design is virtually independent of the pattern books on which most Spanish gunmakers relied. This originality suggests that the gun was specially designed. Unfortunately, we have no hint as to its original owner.
Arms and Armor
An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.