HOUSTON, TX— For over six centuries, firearms have contributed to a range of narratives in international history. From finely chiseled steel to intricate wood carving, the antique firearms in
The Art of the Gunsmith: From Columbus to Napoleon, a special exhibition opening at HMNS on March 11th, embody an accessible 16th, 17th and 18th century decorative art.
Despite being an integral part of European culture, the art of gunmaking is often overlooked in favor of traditional styles of art from the period. This exhibition shines a spotlight on this part of European hunting life with a look at the many ways that sporting arms, as functional and decorative art, impacted the lives of artisans and their patrons. The show explores the decorative art of firearms at a time when the technology was still relatively new. Throughout the show, visitors journey through three centuries of firearm design and sport to learn not only about the firearms, but to place themselves in the lives of their artists and gunsmiths.
A Gallery Overview
Whether enthusiast or novice to firearms and their histories, visitors have a chance to learn and engage throughout the gallery. The exhibit showcases pieces that were considered, in their time and even today, to be high art and places visitors into the role of an apprentice gunmaker.
When entering the gallery, guests learn about terminology they will encounter throughout the exhibition. Firearms jargon can be complex and confusing, so the space begins with a primer on the basics of the arms. Beyond that, visitors learn about military firearms, exhibited in the gallery as both context for the historic usages of weaponry as well as contrast from the finely chiseled and embellished pieces that were created for sport.
Next, through the lens of an apprentice, guests learn about the fascinating process of gunmaking. Visitors are assigned to a school of design featured in the exhibition and learn about the process of going from apprentice to master during this time period. There are several stops throughout the exhibition where guests learn more information about their assigned apprenticeship, and throughout the course of the show, transition from apprentice to master craftsman.
While learning about becoming a gunmaker, the exhibit’s new “apprentices” study the entire role of sporting arms from creation to consumption and the various available technologies during the time frame and how they worked. There’s also a section featuring the rich history of sporting competitions dating back to 1475 around the world. While firearms and other weapons of war have been used during conflict to divide, these same, often more embellished pieces, were equally used to unite communities, cities, and even countries through sport. Various regional styles of design and art are compared and contrasted as they examine highly embellished pieces from Germany, France, Italy and Poland.
The exhibit doesn’t just cover the process of gun design from start to finish. The stories of creators and users of these firearms are also featured. Many might not know that artisan gunsmiths were among the highest paid artisans at any European court. The Art of the Gunsmith engages in the history of all those who owned firearms and shows how they displayed their treasures using techniques that would later be adopted by public museums.
The Art of the Gunsmith concludes with a highly collectible cased pair of pistols made by Nicolas Noel Boutet at the request of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. Inspired by the French Revolution, Boutet swept aside all the conventions that had governed the construction and decoration of handguns since the introduction of the flintlock. He reworked their architecture and reintroduced a minimalist approach to their decoration that stressed the mirror finishing skills of the gunmaker.
Firearms exhibitions are often made by the enthusiast and collector specifically for the enthusiast and collector. But this exhibition reaches beyond that narrow appeal to a variety of audiences who may have never considered how integrally linked firearms history and technology was to society and culture.
The Art of the Gunsmith was organized by the Houston Museum of Natural Science with the Stibbert Museum, Florence, Italy and Contemporanea Progetti.
The Art of the Gunsmith will be on display March 11 through September 2. For ticket prices or more information visit our website at www.hmns.org or call (713) 639-4629.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science—one of the nation’s most heavily attended museums—is a centerpiece of the Houston Museum District. With four floors of permanent exhibit halls, and the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium and George Observatory and as host to world-class and ever-changing touring exhibitions, the Museum has something to delight every age group. With such diverse and extraordinary offerings, a trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, located at 5555 Hermann Circle Drive in the heart of the Museum District, is always an adventure.
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