Over-and-Under Percussion Pistol bearing the Crest of the Polhill Family

Over-and-Under Percussion Pistol bearing the Crest of the Polhill Family

Joseph Egg

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Joseph Egg, one of the preeminent gunmakers in London in the early 19th century, specialized in double-barreled pistols, of which this is a good example. Originally fitted with flintlocks, it was later converted by a different gunsmith to percussion locks, a more advanced mechanism, probably in the 1820s or 1830s. Conversion was a common and economical method of updating a firearm as technology advanced. The crests engraved on the butt cap and grip escutcheon indicate that it belonged to a member of the Polehill family of Sussex and Kent.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Over-and-Under Percussion Pistol bearing the Crest of the Polhill FamilyOver-and-Under Percussion Pistol bearing the Crest of the Polhill FamilyOver-and-Under Percussion Pistol bearing the Crest of the Polhill FamilyOver-and-Under Percussion Pistol bearing the Crest of the Polhill FamilyOver-and-Under Percussion Pistol bearing the Crest of the Polhill Family

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.