Established in 1812 via the partnership of gunsmiths Albert Renette and Louis Gastinne and further reinforced by the marriage of Gastinne's son to Renette's daughter. The firm of Gastinne Renette was a supplier of arms to the leadership of the Second Republic and continued to supply arms to Napoleon III and the Imperial Court when he became Emperor. Additionally, the Gastinne-Renette shop became a nexus of Parisian dueling culture where many would-be duelists would go to rent a firearm and receive training in it's use, in some cases, the next day's opponent received the same service nearby. The firm was a chief supplier of hunting arms to the elite of the city, this rifle being a fine example of such an arm. Fitted with a dovetailed blade front sight and a two-leaf rear sight on a scroll engraved base The barrel has an octagonal profile at the front and rear, transitioning to a 16-sided shape with alternating wide flats and short fluted sections, with "Gastinne Renette a Paris" in scroll-flanked gold inlay on the top flat, satin gray breech with high fence and octagonal nipple base, and a set of "crown/AR" proofs on the underside. Aside from the barrel and the gilt silver wedge escutcheons, the metal surfaces are finished in a fine dark satin gray with between 40-90% engraving coverage on the components, which chiefly consists of elaborate intertwined scrollwork shaded with a mixture of horizontal lines, tight checkerboard patterns and some deeper cutting to create contrasting shades of darker gray and black, creating a sense of depth in the decoration. The lock plate is addressed "GASTINNE.RENETTE A PARIS" with floral patterns on the screw heads and checkerboard patterns on the hammer spur and down in some of the tight curves. The trigger guard shows further scroll and checkerboard work with sharp angles added to some of the scrolls to create geometric patterns, combined with visible horizontal symmetry, octagonal flats along the front surface of the guard, and an attractive three-dimensional "square key" pattern with an accent scroll at the rear of the pistol grip. The straight wrist extra-fancy maple stock is fitted with deeply carved vine decoration with textured backgrounds in place of conventional checkering, with additional deep and sharp scrolls along the underside and back of the shadow-line cheekpiece, more carved scrolls on the underside of the stock between the trigger guard and toe with concealed fire-breathing dragon heads, and a smooth buttplate with leaf-accented scroll decoration. The rifle is packaged in a brass accented fancy hardwood case, which has a purple velvet interior, sliding brass hinge stops, and a series of brass inlays in the lid; the initials "J.J." and an unidentified heraldic crest consisting of a spear held in a hand above a field of an inverted crown above three chevrons, supported by swans with "ANO VOCA VIRTUS" in a banner. The Latin phrase is not fully clear but "voca" is Latin for "to call" or "summon" and "virtus" refers to a specific Ancient Roman virtue relating to manliness, courage, character, and valor. The phrase is likely the motto of a specific family. The interior of the case is French-cut for the rifle and the following included shooting accessories: a white and black powder horn with German silver fittings, marked "FARQUE FILS/A PARIS" on the spout, a square-faced maple wood mallet, 3 piece hardwood cleaning rod, two small cylindrical boxes containing spare nipples and percussion caps, a small powder measure, single round chamber brass mold, and a wood handled nipple wrench.

Excellent. The barrel shows 95% of the fine brown finish, showing a few areas of gray patina, bright edge wear and some light spotting. The satin gray components are also excellent showing a few small areas of spotting. The stock is also excellent with some mild dings around the escutcheons, which sit proud relative to the wood, and a few areas of contrasting wood on the buttstock. The case is fine with a few areas of brass inlay/façade loss, along with some mild wear on the exterior and a few scuffs and stains on the rich, deeply colored velvet. Mechanically excellent. Both an extraordinary and a fantastic high art French arm from one of the most exclusive makers of the time, that would be at home on the shoulder of a well-to-do nobleman or in a high-class collection of antique sporting arms.