This exceptional pair of Parisian pistols from Geerinckx's inscribed presentation case indicates they were presented by the French Republic to Colonel Herbert Taylor Siborne in 1879 for his work as the British delegate to the European Commission of the Danube. The pistols are classic Parisian dueling/target pistols in form with approximately .45 caliber rifled barrels equipped with dovetailed bead front sights, fluted mid sections, "GEERINCKX SUCR DE GAUVAIN A PARIS" in gold on top of the barrels, and raised multi-color gold scroll and border designs. The top of the barrels at the breech are marked "1" and "2" respectively, and the same is repeated on the standing breeches which feature fixed notch rear sights. The locks and mounts also feature raised multi-color gold scrollwork, and the balance of the finish is French gray. The ebony stocks have full-coverage geometric carving. The pair comes in a very attractive presentation case with brass inlays, purple velvet lining with gild Geerinckx markings and foliate scrollwork inside the lid, and a suite of accessories with gold scrollwork and ebony coordinating with the pistols. The case also features a leather outer cover. The case lid features the presentation inscription: "OFFERT/par le Gouvernement/de la Republique Francaise/a Mr.le Colonel H. T. SIBORNE/Delegue/de Sa Majeste Britannique/a la Commission Europeeene/du Danube/Janvier 1879." The inscription translates from French to "'Presented by the government of the French Republic to Monsieur Colonel. H. T. Siborne delegate of his Britannic Majesty to the European Commission of the Danube January 1879." British Royal Engineers officer Herbert Taylor Siborne (1826 - 1902) came from a military family. His father, Captain William Siborne, was a military historian. General Siborne joined the Royal Engineers in 1846 and served in South Africa, including in the Xhosa Wars in the early 1850s. He was promoted to captain in 1855 and colonel in 1877. He was the British member of the European Commission of the Danube 1873–1881 and retired the following year as with the honorary rank of major-general. The commission was created at the end of the Crimean War in the Treaty of Paris and controlled the three mouths of the Danube River in Chilia, Sulina, and St. George and improved and regulated international trade along the river. It served as a model of international cooperation and lasted until 1938 as the German government seized more control. After retiring, Siborne became a military historian, building off of his father's work on the Battle of Waterloo. An included December 10, 1926, "statutory declaration" from William Herbert Siborne (1881-1964), the general's son who was an sergeant-major in World War I and was wounded, details the history of the pistols and indicates he inherited the cased set upon his father's death in 1902 and then sold them to Henry Brace of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in October 1926. The pistols are also recorded in "Gun Digest Treasury: The Best from 25 Years of Gun Digest" by John T. Amber on pages 138-139.

Exceptionally fine overall with bright gold, smooth French gray with minor oxidation and patination, crisp carving, a few very slight flakes, and minor overall age and storage related wear. Mechanically excellent. The case has a crack across the lid but is otherwise fine with minor storage wear, and the accessories are generally very fine with bright gold and minimal wear.

As described in "A." Provenance: Colonel Herbert Taylor Siborne; Sergeant-Major William Herbert Siborne; The Henry Brace Collection; Private Collection

Exceptionally fine overall with bright gold, smooth French gray, crisp carving, and minor overall age and storage related wear including some slight patination and oxidation and very faint flakes on the stock. Mechanically excellent. Overall, this is an extraordinary presentation cased pair of exhibition quality elaborately gold inlaid Parisian dueling pistols from Geerinckx made all the more desirable by their historical presentation inscribed case indicating presentation by the French government to British Colonel Hebert Taylor Siborne.