Rincon Dueling Rigby

Miniature Arms Journal - October, 2008 - p. 1

The Journal of theMiniature ArmsCollectors/MakersSociety

October, 2008

DeWalt Air Guns

Also inthis issue:

1/2 ScaleRigby Pistols

A Mike BarrettMarlin

Ivory Cannons

Pinfire Page

RinconDueling

Pistols3mm

Single ShotKolibri


From Bogota, Colombia, Antonio Rincon presents, A 1/3Scale Gold Mounted pair of Holster Pistols, Boated De-sign. The 4 inch octagonal barrels of over. 18 caliber,struck three times with the maker’s hall marks: NBBOUTET BC Are embellished en suite with Nio gold-worked-panel-sections at muzzles and breeches depict-ing floral swags, geometric patterns and classical sym-bols, over each barrel flat are spread an orderly array(semee) of 134 five-pointed gold stars, each pistol barrelnumbered 216 on the left-most flat, gold-line touch-hole,and set with polished-steel fore and rear sights; roundedlock-plates each engraved with hunting scenes contain-ing dogs and boars, and inscribed around beleved bor-ders, boater a’ Versailles, each lock with concealed safe-ties and roller frizzes springs, the rounded bodied swan-necked cocks engraved with mythological beasts, thefrizzans with eagles (one with is head rearing, the otherwith is head downward), the pan elegantly engraved withminute scrolls and drapery. The ebony full-stocks entirelyencased in profuse inlays of gold-wire and large gold-panels depicting foliatemeander and ara-besques, each side ofthe grips inlaid with asea-serpent with asmall oval surround (orframe) of gold inlaidscrolls, solid goldcounter-plate depictinga bas-relief manneredinterpretation of a clas-sical scene, in the cen-tre, the figure ofSamson holding, in hisright hand, a lute sig-nifying the lyrical. Inhis left hand, he isholding a baton, andhis elbow is resting on a small pedestal decorated withthe eye of Horus, the protecting power of ancient Egypt.Behind are some books representing literature, whileabove is the earth, as the centre of the universe over parch-ment scroll relating the art of war, with a halberd insertedin it. There is a cannon barrel and other weapons in frontof houses and a market. Above the Earth the Acropolis

Two Rincon Duelling Pistols

can be seen and at the right side of it is the Parthenon. Tothe left side of the design, Samson’s feet rest on a sub-missive lion, behind which there is a table supporting amarble plaque with the 5 bases of Greek mythology writ-ten on it. The four points of the table are decorated whitfour caryatids, and upon it there is a lamp representinghuman intelligence. To the left, a sinister creature, whichhas landed from above on all four, crouches. The crea-ture has the breasts of a woman, wings, and a wreath asused by Catholic Saints. It is vomiting into a basin, andemptying the contents into the River Tiber. To add to thepollution, a cloud of poisonous gas explodes from its rearend, harming the atmosphere, while the now polluted riversurrounds the city of Rome with the Vatican, the Forum,the balustrade of the river bank, the Catacombs and theancient Market. The octagonal solid gold butt caps, eachbearing a classical female portrait bust in high relief sur-rounded by classical motifs of hands and, mirrors, scaleof justice, and others along ,,each of the eight sides; tinetrigger guard begins wits ar, eagle, much like the impe-

rial Eagle used byBonaparte, surmounting apedestal (or column) sur-rounded by a stand of flagsand featuring a putti at thejuncture of the bow whichis in turn decorated with amythic figure (likely Zeusand a Child) and finishingwhit a trap embellishedpalms fronds and likewisestruck with a tiny panel(frieze) of a classic figures,the rear-most pipe spreadingout to incorporated. a largeoval portrait bust of a clas-sical male bust surroundedby trophies of arms and

flags. 6 inches overall length. Acknowledgements. I amgrateful to Dr. Joseph A. Murphy, without whom the min-iature garniture set, the subject of this article, would noexist, as it was he who commissioned its making. I havepleasure also in acknowledging the courteous assistancewhich I received from Catherine Gendre Conservateurof the musee Lambinet, Ville de Versailles for sending


me the Cataloge de la manufacture d’armes de Versailleset Nicolas Noel Boutet, Roselyne Hurel, conservateur enchef of the Mus6e Carnavalet Histoire de Paris for send-ing me list of arms from Boutet Manufactory fromVersailles which belong to musee, Jacqueline Megel, ofMusee National de la Legion D’ Honneur des ordes dechavalerie for her congratulations on my work. I have tothank Mr. Stuart W. Pyhrr – Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Cu-rator Department Arms and Armor of the MetropolitanMuseum of Art of the New York City, whose support atall times has been of inestimable value. I thank Miss Jen-nifer Black, Assistant Registrar for exhibitions of theMinneapolis Institute of Arts, for her kind help sendingme the measures and some color plates taken of the origi-

nal garniture set, which was exhibited in the Museum.All components of the magnificent set solid gold 24 k 18k, ivory from Tanzania, Colombian mahogany, ebonyfrom Zaire, tortoise shell from Galapagos Islands, velvetsilk filament imported from France for the lining of thecase was produce on a hand loom, the binding of the in-terior of the case was made of straps of gold thread im-ported from Germany, sculptures and damascan, weremade handmade by Antonio Rincon.

Antonio [email protected]


These two miniatures were exhibited in the NRAshow held in Louisville, Kentucky, May l6-l8-2008.Weapons, Beautiful and Bizarre. Mans ingenuity hascreated armament of beautiful design and strange com-binations, all deadly.

Recently, while doing some research, I came acrossan article, about two of my miniatures, which appearedin the Feb. l995 issue of GUNS REVIEW magazine, ofLondon.

The first was a 1/2 scale, three barrel, all steel pis-tol with a rotating hammer nose, originally made byW. and J. Rigby of DUBLIN.

The second was a copy of a four barrel withbayonet, all steel pistol, with a rotating hammernose, also by W. and J. Rigby.

It has a simple but ingenious solution to the problemof providing repetitive fire. Each barrel has its ownpercussion nipple, and is detachable for loading. Theyare numbered consecutively to ensure that the corret bar-rel are refitted to the appropiate breech. The reason be-ing that these pistols were made long before the days ofunified screw threads, and not all the the threads wouldmate. The most unusual feature of the pistol is that thestriker was offset and attached to a circular plate whichcould be manually rotated so that the striker would hiteach of the capped nipples and fire the loaded barrels inturn.

The lock has an extra notch, which permits the ham-mer to be drawn to a safe position clear of the nipple ,but sufficiently close to prevent the loss of a loosely fit-ting cap.

It has a folding trigger , which only protuded whenthe pistol is fully cocked. This pistol is extremely wellmade.

Being all metal, and having a hole in the stock itcould be also be used as a knucleduster should the mul-tiplicity of shots fail, or the number of assailants begreater then the number of shot available. A few weremade in six shot.

In Dubin, William and John Rigby took over the firmat No. 24 Suffolk Street on the death of their father, John

By Antonio Rincon,Bogota,Colombia

Two1/2 ScaleRigbyPistols

Above: several stages in themaking of the Rigby pistols.


senior, in l8l9. He had rounded off hiscarrer as Ireland’s premier gunmaker byintroducing in the penultimate year of hislife the damascus barrels of mingled ironand steel which his sons were to mounton the finest percussion firearms whichtheir firm, and country, produced. Onpage 89 of his book Firearms Curiosa,Lewis Winant shows two Rigby pistols,a three barrel and a four barrel withoutbayonet, both from the collection of KeithNeal of London.

The autor is engraving the body andhammers of the guns, shown in this ar-ticle, with foliation and scrolls and in-scribed on reverse in a ribbon W.& JRIGBY and on obverse DUBLIN, withvery deep engraving typical of the Rigbyworkmanship.

Sincerely, Antonio Rincon.

Above: Finished, except for the engraving is the cased, four barrel Rigby.

Above: Shown actual size is the four barrel Rigbywith accessories

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Rincon Dueling Rigby