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
Lejeune, Lenoir ou Lepage ?
This is a
large, high-capacity pinfire revolver, Chaineux type. The applicant described
its main characteristics as follows:
"Here is
a 7mm pinfire revolver with a 12-shot capacity.
The
markings: - on the barrel: Lepage Frères in Liège
- on the
barrel, cylinder, and grip strap: 6 (or 9?); 12 additionally on the strap
- on the
cylinder: J. Chaineux Inur Brt; Liège proof mark and crowned N (NB: in our
opinion, this should read Invr for 'inventor')
- JL on
the strap and inside of the shield"
The question posed is:
"Is Lepage Frères simply the reseller or the
manufacturer under license from Chaineux? Because there is no LF proof mark with
a rearing lion."
For
Chaineux's weapons, see:
https://littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20c/a%20chaineux%20gb.htm
For
Lepage Frères' weapons, see:
https://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20l/a%20lepage%20freres%20gb.htm
It is not
easy to make a definitive determination based on the information we have.
Nevertheless, we can venture to suggest several possibilities. For example,
virtually identical items can be found on various auction sites. See, for
instance, this revolver marked on the barrel "ROLLAND and RENAULT in PARIS" and
"J. CHAINEUX invention" on the cylinder:
In this
example, it is clear that the Parisian gunsmiths were merely resellers of the
weapon, although they signed with a marking similar to that of the item we are
interested in here. This observation does not support the idea of manufacture
by Lepage Frères, which is consistent with the absence of the LF proof mark with
a rearing lion.
Furthermore, the inscription "J. Chaineux Invr Brt" on a very similar revolver
suggests that Chaineux is not the manufacturer either! The weapon in question is
visible on the website, and the author of the entry stands by this assertion;
see:
https://littlegun.be/collection%20privee/belgique/be%20abcde/a%20be%20chaineux%2012%20coups%20gb.htm
If we
thus exclude the two gunsmiths mentioned above, the question arises as to the
true identity of the manufacturer of this revolver. The only clue lies in the
presence of the initials JL on two parts of the weapon. Several Liège craftsmen
share these initials, but it is not currently possible to precisely identify the
manufacturer of this revolver. A list of possible makers can be found on the
website:
LEJEUNE J., 100 rue Louvrex,
Liège.
The
individual in question filed two patents in 1885 and 1906.
LECLERCQ
Joseph, gunsmith in Saint Remy (Liège) 1859/1886. He filed two patents, one of
which relates to a breech-loading break-action pistol using the Lefaucheux
cartridge.
LEMILLE Joseph (1836/1874), rue Féronstrée in Liège.
LENOIR Joseph (1879-1881) from Blegny-Trembleur (Liège)
LHONNEUX J. Frères (1854/1867)
LIBOTTE
J. (1836/1854)
LACROIX
Jacques (1873/1877)
It should
be noted that Lejeune and Lenoir did indeed produce revolvers with the
Lefaucheux system and marked with a crowned JL, see:
https://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20l/a%20lejeune%20j%20gb.htm
https://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20l/a%20lenoir%20joseph%20gb.htm
In
provisional conclusion, the information we have suggests that this revolver was
produced neither by Chaineux nor by Lepage Frères, but Possibly by a Liège
craftsman with the initials JL, who could be Lejeune or Lenoir... to be resold
by the Lepage Frères firm.
Chris,
Marcel, Alain
