doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Funken engraved pigeon grade

Another masterpiece of him:

http://www.grandcurtiusliege.be/votre-vi...-leau-1939/view

Gunwolf

Mine was double signed

most factory engraving was ment to be looked at at arms lenth not under high magnification.i think vrackens work is really good. mc

Exactly right. The best of the Brownings are pretty crude compared side by side with the good engraving coming out of Italy in the last 25 years.

Not so fast there, pardner...Bulino or banknote engraving in Italy is a different style of engraving, almost like drawing pictures with needle-like punctures. You are talking Apples, and Oranges.

Funken, both Baertens, Watrin and his wife Nelly, Vranken, were all Master engravers on some of the most expensive guns of the day, and matched favorably with Holland and Holland and Purdeys, which typically had understated British rose and scroll but sold for much more.

Chiseling 13 or more animals in a Superposed game scene is very different than the artistry of Bulino, and it's unfair to compare the two styles.

I agree with No Dak Scotty and never would dare to say "crude" for the work of this artisans�! Some samples from the Browning custom shop in Li�ge from my visit in July for german hunting magazin HALAL.
and they are still great artisans today!

The commemorative gun is engraved by S. Purgal�.

Gunwolf

Somewhat atypical subject matter on the sideplate gun in the last photo. Nicely done none the less. Homage to Gunga Din I suppose.

I had a composed pair of Pointers (410 and 28 bore) signed by Funken. For the most part all of the high end Belgium Browning esp the engraving wouldn't even get a British or French beginning engraver into an apprenticeship/guild program. They Browning are crude in their engraving as they are not bespoke. I sold my pointer for a stupid amount and acquired a Boss pre-war and a Scott Premier grade hammer. If you want incredible engraving look at the French pre 1895 Pairs LePage, the Fred Beesley or a Purdey

Hmmm, last I checked, the British and French guns were engraved exactly the same way Belgian guns were engraved, and with the same tools,too! Amazing! Ah yes, and German guns were done the same also.

Anyone who looks at a Midas, Diana, or other such Grade 4, 3, etc and says they are "Crude" is just highlighting their own lack of knowledge about fine guns. And those guns are all still made today in Liege, "bespoke."

You can say you don't like Browning engraving, you can say you don't care for the style, but to call it crude, if you REALLY mean that, means your opinions can't be taken seriously in these forums.

I don't care for English rose and scroll, or case coloring, but I appreciate them both for what they are.

I'm not comparing oranges and apples, as you suggest, nor did I compare differing styles. Comparing the same techniques, my comments stand. I say this not to disparage, but in simply evaluating the engraving alone side by side. A Midas grade Superposed I had and hunted with for many years was a very nice gun, but the birds were indeed crude by comparison, and I've seen scores of others I have similar comment about. The best I've seen on Brownings in recent years have been the Mallard, Pintail and Black Duck series made in the '80s. They were excellent, pardner.