A great one for you Tennessee gun enthusiasts - Art and Jan Riser have a superb southern pistol posted on the Contemporary Makers Blogspot this morning - this one happens to be an original by Elisha Bull, one of the finest Tennessee builders in the early 1800s.
http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2009/10/elisha-bull-death-or-victory-pistol.htmlJust superb lines and workmanship. To me, this piece epitomizes the power of simple elegance and makes a powerful statement about the times and culture it was made in.
The trigger is interesting - I wonder if it is a single set?
Perhaps Wayne Elliot or one of the folks more familiar with the Bulls may want to add some comment.
Elisha Bull was born in Tennessee in 1791 and was half brother to John Bull. The Bulls migrated to Tennessee from Maryland where it is believed that John Bull began his gunmaking trade. They were intermarried with, and bought land in Tennessee from, the Beans. John later moved on to Alabama - I am not sure about Elisha.
If you do a search for "Bull" on the Blog site, you can see pictures of a great pistol by John Bull that Art and Jan posted earlier this year, as well as a couple of Andy Mock's wonderful contemporary builds inspired by Bull rifles and pistols.
Guy
