Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia (1729-1796) was born Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst and was the child of a Prussian Prince. At age 15, she was invited to Russia to meet and later marry the next heir to the Russian throne, Peter III of the Romanov family.
In early 1762, Peter III assumed the throne, but his position was fleeting. In the first six months of his reign, he was essentially overthrown and arrested by his bride. On July 9th of the same year, Peter was forced to abdicate the throne.
This flintlock blunderbuss was made at Russia’s Imperial Arms Factory in Tula at the behest of Catherine the Great. It’s inlaid with gold and features the royal arms of France and a silver inlaid engraving of a portrait bust of King Louis XV of France.
We cannot confirm the specific reason for the gift, but it was made around the time that Russia and France concluded an alliance to defeat the Kingdom of Prussia.
Embellished arms always have been a popular symbol of peace and cooperation between countries.
A woman gave a man a weapon of war. Oh, what would Diane Feinstein have said had she and her plastic face been around then?
Diane Feinstein is no Catherine!
Nice wood on the blunderbuss, but I’ll bet even the horse wouldn’t give wood to Feinstein. (Can I say that?)
Yes you can! Lol.
Damn. I bid $150.
A Tula!
(Is there a Freudian implication when a woman give a man a gun?)
Not for normal people.
What about Abbey Normal people?
Maybe Hans Delbrück, is the answer? heheheh
“What hump?”
If you get the chance, see ‘Young Frankenstein’ in BluRay.
Gorgeous transcription. While watching it, Iwas geeking out on the visible grain structure of the original film…
It is when it’s Catherine the Great
So, it really was good to be king.
Will Rob of the AK Operator’s Union be doing a 5000 torture test on it?
But should she shoot it on horseback?
Rumor was she wasn’t on the horse’s back.
Yeah, she really loved that horse.
The rumor about the horse that you are referring to is a rumor with no basis in fact.
Unfortunately the blunderbuss was stolen by an imposter along with the plans to the Montgolfier brothers hot air balloon.
After studying that picture for a while, I like it. Without all the engraving I’d like to have one.
Looks like a fun project to build
“…Russia and France concluded an alliance to defeat the Kingdom of Prussia.”
how’d that work out for her?
“the axe of wandsbeck.”
neat trigger. The spectacular engravings appear to feature a mythical scene of a male centaur copulating with a female human or nymph.
Porn wasn’t as cheap and easy to get back in the day. Had to buy an expensive gun to get a scene.
I bet that thing’s still more accurate than most Mosin-Nagants.
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