Rifle for the 1855 Exhibition
The Universal Exhibitions, which had been held since 1851, were an opportunity to create or present extraordinary artefacts that could interest or even dazzle visitors. This rifle falls into that category. It was produced by the Paris-born arquebusier André Fils in 1853, and exhibited two years later at the Universal Exhibition organised in the French capital. Although it uses a recently invented mechanism (the system for spindle cartridges), this weapon is not really functional, but is a tour de force of craftsmanship. The chiselling of the metal parts rivals the sculpture of the butt. This decoration is characteristic of the eclectic "Napoleon III" style, which dominated luxury arquebuserie in France, Belgium and elsewhere for more than twenty years.
