Bearing the mark of Jacob Walster of Saarbruck, France, the steel-mounted pistols were owned by three of the greatest and most revered names of early American history.
First owned by the Marquis de Lafayette, they were given by the Frenchman to his lifelong friend George Washington during the American Revolution. Then, in 1824, they were presented to Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans and newly-elected Senator for Tennessee who went on to become President.
With exquisite inlaid, carved and engraved rococo decoration, the pistols are a fine example of 18th century workmanship, but the appreciation of them as antique firearms is transcended by their symbolic role in the founding of the United States.
It is no exaggeration to say that these are among the most important firearms in American history, as evinced by Jackson's political slogan in his presidential campaign:
"Washington, Lafayette and Jackson - Brandywine, Yorktown and New Orleans"; - three names and three battles at the heart of the American psyche, and linked by these pistols.
Pair of saddle pistols fetched $1.8m
USA : It was no surprise that the star lot in a star-studded Americana sale at Christie’s New York on January 18 and 19 was the Lafayette-Washington pair of saddle pistols which fetched $1.8m (£1,285,715) and established a new world auction record for a firearm.
