Embellishment limit?

[Jim Kibler]

Here is another thing to consider...  Many don't have the ability to discern good work from bad.  In terms of decoration, they can become overwhelmed by volume and not know whether it's quality or not.  I sometimes see praise given to guns that in my view are a mess.  In short, some consumers are more educated and sophisticated in their ability to appreciate aesthetic characteristics.

So again, it comes down to the quality of the work, in my view.  Pretty simple.

Jim

[Beaverman]

I  can appreciate the work and craftsmanship that went into that Met Rifle but a plain jane longrifle with sexy lines and nice wood does it for me, the same goes for a nice clean, well-proportioned horn!

[Preacher Dave]

The old adage "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," perhaps goes to the answer to the question "How much is too much embellishment?"  I appreciate a full spectrum of embellishment, from none to full coverage, as long as it has been down well. The more I learn about original works, my appreciation for subtlety in design and execution has grown. My own feeble attempts pale in comparison to those who are masters at their craft, so I'm personally looking at sticking to utilitarian pieces to produce in my own workshop that exhibit little embellishment and concentrating on elements that I feel comfortable doing, such as the finishing and aging of the piece. As such, barn guns, Tennessee/NC/Southern Mountain rifles, fusils, and trade guns are more in my wheelhouse, leaving the highly carved and inlayed Golden Age flintlocks to those who have the ability to produce such works.

[DavidC]

I think that Kough gun is a good example of when people mistake symmetry for beauty. Clearly that gun took a lot of technical skill to make, but it has a bit of a soulless feel to me, like it ignores woodgrain stock shape in order to prioritize symmetry.

Look at some of what Ian Pratt has posted lately and I think that's bold work done right, like good Jaeger rifle carving. Smooth flowing shapes and lines seem better, imo, than jarring changes in shape.

Styles seemed to become pretty gaudy with the rise of percussion locks, and the transition of firearms to more disposable death sticks. I'm not saying modern black guns are bad, just that they sure as $#*! aren't art!

[JTR]

That's what was popular at that time in that place.
Sort of like the huge fins on a 1957 Plymouth, at the time...

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Given the gun, the person it was built for, and given the period..........is the embellishment too much, too little, or exactly right......It's your opinion.......NOW if you want to know what MOST People would say, that is a different question. Is that question important to you? Why? I thnk you will have more fun building guns if you discover the answer to this question. Then build what pleases you... and don't be afraid to experiment, make mistakes and redo some work.....

Grant_2.jpg

[Bob Roller]

Given the gun, the person it was built for, and given the period..........is the embellishment too much, too little, or exactly right......It's your opinion.......NOW if you want to know what MOST People would say, that is a different question. Is that question important to you? Why? I thnk you will have more fun building guns if you discover the answer to this question. Then build what pleases you... and don't be afraid to experiment, make mistakes and redo some work.....

Grant_2.jpg

[/quote
The Grant rifle has been to me since I saw it up close..live and in color in the Smithsonian and still remains unsurpassed.
I have seen plain rifles by Whitmore that had the same profile minus the overlay on the stock,a stand of arms I think it'd
called but with the checkered wrist. I owned a Whitmore butt stock only rifle with and identical from the grip to the butt plate as the Grant
rifle  and wished many times I had not sold it.
Some long rifles do seem to go off the deep end with carving both raised and incised.I prefer the simple unadorned SMR"s like the one shown here today.My all time favorites are the English half stock sporting or target apparently made with a cost be !@*%&@ attitude that is seldom seen today and it is refreshing to see them here every so often.
Bob Roller

[stan57]

...NOW if you want to know what MOST People would say, that is a different question. Is that question important to you? Why? I think you will have more fun building guns if you discover the answer to this question. Then build what pleases you...

Agree Dr. Tim-Boone 100% on the visceral aspects / self satisfaction. But, as a studying novice, I am also interested in understanding the collective opinion, e.g. what is the judging criteria at an event such as this: