Colt Model 1862 Police Revolver, serial no. 38549

Colt Model 1862 Police Revolver, serial no. 38549

Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The ornate brass grip of this pistol features a female figure representing Christianity and Justice. John Quincy Adams Ward created the original model of the grip for a pair of pistols presented by President Abraham Lincoln to the governor of Adrianople (present-day Edirne, Turkey) in 1864. The grip of the pistol displayed here was probably cast from the same mold shortly after that. Ward was relatively unknown at the time, but soon became one of America's most celebrated sculptors.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Colt Model 1862 Police Revolver, serial no. 38549Colt Model 1862 Police Revolver, serial no. 38549Colt Model 1862 Police Revolver, serial no. 38549Colt Model 1862 Police Revolver, serial no. 38549Colt Model 1862 Police Revolver, serial no. 38549

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.