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
Jean Baptiste Rongé / Spirlet
This
is a .320 caliber pistol. On finds it (especially ?) in the catalogue n°53 of
the house JB Rongé Fils (active
between 1832 and 1929) under the number 3923 as being a Spirlet pistol.
So we are on the trail of a
member of the
Spirlet dynasty,
perhaps Edward, but is it Edouard, or Edouard Father? That's the question.
Unfortunately, I do not have
all the patents of the two
Edouart Spirlet
and I have not found any connection with the gun that concerns us. Since the two
Edouart
Spirlet were active between 1850 and 1876,
and the gun was presented to the proofhouse in February 1894, it is likely that
if patent(s) there was, it was probably no longer necessary to mention it during
the manufacture.
The markings:
R crowned: rifled barrel, in use between January 30,
1894 and 1968;
R under star: countermark a controller between 1877 and 1968;
ELG on star in crowned oval: accepted between 1893 and 1968
Peron: inspection, since 1853
JBR under crown very erased:
one of the brands of the
Manufacture d’Armes Jean -Baptiste Rongé.
GP with the help of PHL, MD and HPH
