Dear Geno,
(This post is from Barry Lee Hands...he neglected to login and aske me to put this here.)
I would like to find a copy of that book by Shokarev, it sounds very interesting. I have Russian Arms and Armor by Yuri Miller and Antique Firearms by L. Tarrasuk.
There were many excellent Gunmakers serving the Court among them such great names as Grecke,Permiak,Goltiakov, Orlov, and Panov. And Knife and swordmakers such as Zlatoust. There are even a few signed engravings as in the example of Georgs Krebers of Tula.
Alas, as you say many of the details have not come through to us and their names sometimes survive only on the fine examples of their work still extent in the museums of Mother Russia.
When David sent me the photo of the Matska, it was a detail photo and he said nothing about the Lebeau connection. I made my stylistic criticisms and observations based soley on the ornament. These observations could support your idea that the gun may have been shipped in the white to Matska, but we also could consider the possibility that Matska ordered the piece finished as we see it today, and may have even ordered it with the inscription on the banner.If Matska did indeed order it complete for the son of the Czar, it is in no way a discredit to the fine workmanship of Russian Gunmakers, but may just offer us a glimpse into the complicated world of the international gun trade one hundred years ago...
Last edited by Dave Weber; 03/11/07 02:50 PM.
