Some of the most beautiful work of this craftsman, and many others, are in this book “Liège Gunmakers through their Work. 1800 - 1950”.
For more detail see: LIEGE GUNMAKERS
CHARTIER
This type of combined weapon, pinfire knife/revolver was often manufactured in Liege in the last quarter of the 19th century. The originality of such an object appealed to the person concerned by closer protection. Its effectiveness is however unconfirmed.
The gun is a pinfire revolver with open frame of Lefaucheux type.
It bears the legal stamps for a firearm, of the Liege Proof House, that is to say
STAR/ELG in an oval: acceptance - period 1846/1893.
STAR/P: countermark of the controller - period 1877/1968.
The Mark CHARTIER à MELLE is most probably that of the French retailer of this gun, or that of the cutler.
MELLE is a small French city in POITOU. We contacted the Tourist bureau where no CHARTIER arms manufacturer or cutler named MELLE in the 19th century is known.
GG
There is a city in Belgium which is called Melle, near Ghent. My knowledge of the language of Vondel being insufficient, I asked a Dutch speaking person to get information in order to know if, to their knowledge, a Chartier from Melle, between 1877 and 1893, practiced the trade of gunsmith or arms manufacturer or gun dealer. He placed his request with the Melle communal museum who was very interested, but their research did not give any result!
This weapon bears Belgian stamps but there is a small village in France which is called also Melle, and it is possible that the weapon was manufactured in Belgium for an arms retailer of this French city.
Too bad!
Research is sometimes quite ungrateful!!
Alain
