The craftwork put into the singing birds gun is astounding.
That sultan rifle is gawdy as hell. Give me the gems and a Mosin, and I can have my youngest niece “Bedazzle” something similar
“I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.”
November 21, 2018, 11:53 PM
sjtill
One of the greatest thrills of my life was a visit in 1966 to the Grünes Gewölbe, the Green Vault of the Art Museum of Dresden, at that time East Germany. The treasures there are mind-blowing, exquisite works of craftsmanship, along the lines of the bird pistols. I recall a medieval battle depicted in a spherical wooden carving the size of a golf ball. If you ever get the chance, you must visit this marvelous place. It was under construction when I returned in 1990, so will have to try again in a few years. Amazing what craftsmen were able to accomplish with strictly mechanical technology.
_________________________ “Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters. –Daniel Webster (1782-1852)"
November 22, 2018, 08:26 AM
henryaz
Beautiful and masterful craftsmanship. Opening the tailstock of the Sultan's rifle reminds me very much of a Faberge Egg.
