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
Niquet "Le Jeune"
Here is a beautiful pair of flint guns from the first
half of the 18th century, signed
Niquet Lejeune in
Liège.
In his book “Cinq siècles
d’armurerie Liègeoise”, Claude Gaier quotes
Claude Niquet
several times, notably on page 100, where he evokes the evolution of the screws
(counterplate) of the Liège arms:
Claude Niquet is
located around 1735 and his screws are almost identical to those of the pistols
in question.
The "Neue Stöckel", page 873,
also quotes
Claude Niquet, c.
1736, and above all, he publishes two punches: the lion in a rectangle is
identical to that of the pistols in question, and the one bearing the name
NIQUET is
quite similar.
Jarlier and Buigné also cite
Claude Niquet 1
on page 300, an arquebusier and engraver in Liège between 1690 and 1740. They
also cite
Claude Niquet 2,
arquebusier and engraver in Liège between 1750 and 1800.
In issue 79 of the Bulletin
du Musée d’Armes de Liège, Claude Gaier traces the genealogy of the
Niquet family
in Liège:
Nicolas Niquet,
his son
Arnold (1650-?), his two sons:
Arnold dit Le
Jeune
(reported in 1736 and his brother
Claude
(1692-1764), the one mentioned above.
Arnold
Niquet Le Jeune seems to be the author of this magnificent pair, whose
quality is clearly superior to that of another gun known to him, see below.
GP with the help of PHL.
Niquet "Le Jeune"
We have here a flintlock pistol of the 18th century, lock round “A la française”, hammer swan neck, wood going to the mouth and finishing side handle by a nozzle of bird.
The barrel, carries it screw, the trigger guard are decorated of foliage gilded in hollow making think by the richness of shoddy goods of these guns named at the time in Liege, "Turkish" because it were intended for export to raising.
NIQUET Le Jeune as for him was an arms manufacturer in Liege towards 1730/1760 and we hardly have details on its life.
GG
Many thanks to Jean Marc for the pictures.
