A Fine, Rare Flintlock by Lazarino & Bauduin
A magnificent European flintlock pistol featuring the work of two renowned 17th century gunmakers, Lasaro Lasarino of Brescia, Italy and Charles Bauduin of Liege, Belgium.
How these two masters each came to contribute to this particular pistol will never be known. But they have worked together on other firearms. Our research turned up a mid-1700’s flintlock fowling piece that bears the signatures of both gunmakers (http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20b/a%20bauduin%20gb.htm ).
We believe that Bauduin’s lock was made for this pistol at the time of manufacture as the fitting is so perfectly integrated into the stock and with precise barrel alignment.
Both artisans were contemporary gunmakers in the mid to late 17th century and their individual work has been recorded in official records, museums and collections throughout Europe. Lasarino’s work has been found on flintlock pistols and rifles of French, Spanish, Portguese and Bohemian (Czech) origin.
Bauduin is listed in Stockel, volume 1, p. 30, with dates 1750-1790, Liege and in ” Liege Gunmakers Through Their Work 1800-1950″.
The correct name for Lazarino is Lazaro Cominazzo III and he worked late 17th and early 18th century, as noted in Enzeo Malatesta, Armi ed Armaiole di Italia, p. 111.
Our pistol was probably made for a merchant gentleman of the mid 1700’s; possibly worn in the belt as a fashion statement of the day and still retaining a remarkable quality after 250-plus years. It features a two-stage rifled barrel of 15 mm calibre which is signed by Lazarino, deer horn tipped briar root stock and ornate scrolling in bas relief on the brass side plate, butt cap and trigger guard (common to Lazarino pistols), with the iron lock being signed by Charles Bauduin.
This fine pistol resided in private Italian collections until 2019. It represents the epitomy of the 17th century European gunmakers’ art and is an outstanding example of early cross-border firearms design and manufacture. It surely takes pride of place in the collector’s portfolio.
