Combinable hunting rifle and blade
Donation from Pierre Solvay, 1972
From the 15th century, people sought to combine different weapons for a single purpose, generally a cold weapon and a firearm. This is an instrument used for fox hunting, a cynegetic sport par excellence which was reserved for the aristocracy under the Old Regime. It was used to kill the injured game, after it was rounded up by a pack of dogs. It consists of a blade with a double-edged knife, as well as a removable wooden handle, carved with entangled animals (dogs, rabbits, wild boars) and masks. This removable handle, which is held in place by a spring-loaded blade at the knife’s tang, can be removed and adapted in the same way at the rear of the flint gun handle. It can then be used as a stick. It is also equipped with an obvious barrel, closed by a sliding lid, which serves as a bullet box. The gun’s handle is decorated with sculptures that are similar to those on the knife’s handle.
The origin of these two combinable weapons is uncertain. The style of the sculpture is reminiscent of a Germanic country. The stamp on the clover-shaped gun lock has not been identified and the two crooked moon crescents, which are marked on the blade, do not necessarily represent a signature.
However, there is no doubt about the rarity of this item.
