Unique collector's items from the kings of Württemberg: historic ceremonial firearms as a special auction at Eppli

Shortly before the end of the year, the Eppli auction house invites you to a special auction with a special theme: On December 20, 2024, historical ceremonial firearms will be auctioned off at the Leinfelden-Echterdingen location. They come from a private collection from southern Germany, which focuses on works by Württemberg gunsmiths from the 18th and 19th centuries. A total of around 60 lots will be offered at the selected auction, including hunting and duelling weapons such as shotguns and rifles, as well as accessories such as ornately crafted powder horns and carters' cutlery. Many of them come from the armories of the Princes of Hohenlohe and Duke Carl Eugen von Württemberg. One of the highlights of the auction is a flintlock rifle that King Friedrich I of Württemberg gave to his daughter Katharina von Württemberg and Jérôme Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest brother, as a wedding present.

"The auction offers a rare opportunity to discover and acquire important pieces with a direct link to Württemberg's history," explains Esther Schödel-Sorge, an expert in art, antiques and historical objects in the Eppli team. The private collector, from whose estate the historical weapons come, has brought together pieces that reflect both the technological progress of weaponry and the art-historical development of the time. "This makes the auction a living testimony to the cultural landscape of Württemberg and demonstrates the craftsmanship and artistic skill that characterizes these works," adds Esther Schödel-Sorge.

In fact, a large number of the objects were not used; and apart from their original function, they also served as coveted collector's items and artistically crafted status symbols. The condition of this collection is excellent. The firearms show only minor signs of age, and the bluing or bluing - a material coating with a rust-protective effect - is still largely intact on some of the objects. The special auction is therefore aimed in particular at collectors, museums and those interested in art and cultural history.

Frederick of Württemberg and Napoleon - the union of two ruling dynasties

A unique piece in the collection is a flintlock rifle. It was a wedding gift from King Frederick I, the first king of Württemberg. His daughter, Katharina von Württemberg, married Jérôme Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest brother, in 1807. The ornately decorated rifle (lot 19) not only symbolized the union of two ruling dynasties, but also served as an expression of power, prosperity and political loyalty. The choice of the renowned Parisian manufacturer Le Page emphasized the importance of this alliance and the position of the House of Württemberg in Europe.

Frederick - once Elector of Württemberg - had always been an admirer of French absolutism. In the course of the French Revolution and the First Empire, he received an unannounced visit from Napoleon Bonaparte at Ludwigsburg Palace in 1805, who wanted to establish the Confederation of the Rhine as a counterweight to Austria with Württemberg, Baden and Bavaria, among others, and persuade Frederick to form an alliance with France. With success: Frederick decided to withdraw Württemberg from the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and signed the Act of the Confederation of the Rhine. The Elector and his state profited: Frederick became King of Württemberg in 1806. Thanks to territorial gains, the area of the new kingdom doubled during the 19 years of his reign, and Frederick also turned Württemberg into a modern state.

In order to strengthen the connection with France, Frederick's daughter Katharina married Jérôme Bonaparte. Napoleon's brother became King of Westphalia and thus ruler of a kingdom created especially for him.

Swiss inventiveness sets new standards

In addition to the wedding gift, the work of Swiss gunsmith Franz Ulrich stands out in particular. Ulrich was appointed inspector of the newly founded Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory in Oberndorf am Neckar in 1812, where he worked until 1823. He later opened his own business at Eberhardstraße 35 in Stuttgart and established himself nationally through his innovative technical developments. Ulrich's inventiveness in the field of percussion locks set new standards: in April 1827, he submitted an application for a patent for a cock safety device he had developed, which significantly improved the safety of percussion weapons. Ulrich's work was also highly regarded by the Württemberg nobility. Duke Heinrich von Württemberg, the brother of Frederick I, had all his hunting rifles fitted with the safety device.

Masterpiece of the gunsmith's art

The name Blasius Sailer appears repeatedly in Duke Heinrich's copy of his rifle collection. There are three lots by Blasius Sailer in the private collection to be auctioned, including an elaborately carved flintlock shotgun (lot 21). The barrel of this shotgun is made in the "Canon A Ruban" technique and decorated with floral and ornamental gold inlays. The walnut stock features a naturalistic carving of an owl's head. Further filigree silver inlays surrounding the stock make this object a masterpiece of the gunsmith's art.

One name that repeatedly adorns the barrels and lock plates of the objects in this collection is Christian Körber. Between 1750 and 1785, he worked as a court gunsmith for the Princes of Hohenlohe, a Franconian noble family of the high nobility with a territory between the Kocher, Tauber and Jagst rivers. In the middle of the 15th century, the House of Hohenlohe, like its territory, became a count, and in the course of the 18th century a prince. Christian Körber also worked for Duke Carl Eugen, the twelfth Duke of Württemberg. His mother Maria Augusta was a Princess of Thurn und Taxis by birth. His father, Duke Karl Alexander, died when Carl Eugen was nine years old. Carl Eugen himself enjoyed a special education together with his brothers in Berlin at the court of King Frederick II of Prussia - Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was his music teacher. Carl Eugen returned to Württemberg as a young man and reigned for more than 50 years from the age of 16. It was he who commissioned famous buildings such as the New Palace in Stuttgart, the Grafeneck hunting lodge and the four pleasure palaces of Solitude Palace, Monrepos Palace, Einsiedel Palace and Hohenheim Palace.

The gunsmiths of this period were as much in demand as artists. It was customary for the aristocratic houses to have a new set of weapons made regularly - often once a year. Some were needed for hunting, while others were presented in the residences and castles as magnificent, state-of-the-art works of art. The weapons were regarded as status symbols. Some makers, such as Le Page, Franz Ulrich or Blasius Sailer, were considered outstanding. The court gunsmith Christian Körber, who worked for the duke, had a son of the same name who was also a gunsmith. He labeled his barrels "Chretien Koerber a Ingelfingen" and was probably active under King Friedrich I.

Special auction "Important collection of historical ceremonial firearms from Württemberg": December 20, 2024, 3 pm, Eppli Auction Hall Leinfelden-Echterdingen. On the Eppli website you will find an overview of all the items to be auctioned with starting prices and further information, and you can bid live worldwide: