An extraordinary double barrelled center fire shotgun by Gastinne Renette dating: 1862 provenance: Paris, Smooth-bore, round, finished, 12 mm cal. barrels In damask, with rib signed in gold 'GASTINNE RENETTE ARQ. DE L'EMPEREUR A PARIS' among flower garlands, the ends decorated in gold with floral motifs on a slightly grained ground, fore-sight; marked under the barrels 'GASTINNE RENETTE CANN.R DEL EMPEREUR', dated '1862', with stamps 'GR' and stamps with order of the Legion Honour and serial number '2119'. Automatic extractor. Long, engraved tang and with gold inlays. Backward spring locks, finely decorated in gold with birds and wolf heads among floral motifs, false external cocks. Iron receiver, opening lever and trigger-guard, decorated en suite with the barrels. Wooden butt and fore-end (old break of the grip, restored). Fore-end decorated wit vermeil-inlaid shell, bird's heads, garlands and floral motifs; the two butt sides majestically decorated with vermeil inlays, engraved and partially pierced. Back part dominated by an Egyptian coat-of-arms, Horus in the center, with a hat and scepters above a scarab with horizontal wings, all under a small ermine surmounted with a turban and crescent. The coat-of-arms placed on a shell and framed with a flower and foliage net. A cartouche above the coat-of-arms showing a hound's head on one side and lion's on the other, above a hunting trophy, all framed with laurel branches, flowers and foliage. Butt-plate in pure gold, engraved with floral motifs in bass-relief. length 98 cm.