The firm originated around 1812 and was cemented by the marriage of Louis-Julien Gastinne and Joséphine Adèle Renette, son and daughter of the founders of the firm. By the second half of the 19th century, they were the premiere source for dueling pistols in Paris. They even rented sets like this and trained duelists how to use them effectively. They manufactured high end firearms for Napoleon III, the King of Spain, Annie Oakley, and many other notable figures. While dueling has mostly faded into obscurity in England and the U.S. by the time these were made, pistol and sword duels in France and other areas of Continental Europe continued into the 20th century though fatal duels with pistols became rarer as time went on. The French and other Continental Europeans considered rifling to be proper when pistols were the weapons of choice, especially as rifling became more common in general by the mid-19th century. This pair has rifled barrels with dovetailed round blade front sights and "Fni par Gastinne Renette a Paris" in Gothic script on top. The breech plugs and upper tangs have gold inlaid "1" and "2"s respectively, and the latter have fixed u-notch rear sights for fast aiming. They are equipped with plain triggers with light pull weights and hooked trigger guards to help steady the aim. The furniture aside from the barrels is engraved with tight scroll and border patterns. The stocks have finely checkered wrists with carved borders. They come in an oak case with an old label on the front indicating they were sold in 1890, "GASTINNE-RENETTE/PARIS" in gold lettering on the inside of the lid, and a French fitted interior containing a small measure, cap container, patches, mallet, bullet mold, nipple wrench, screwdriver, wooden containers with spare nipples and lead balls, ramrod, and a cleaning rod.

Excellent overall with 98% blue finish on the barrels, nearly all of the case colors (especially vibrant on the pommel caps), minor handling and storage marks, crisp checkering and carving, minor nicks and dings in the wood, and attractive figure. The case is fine with moderate storage wear including some impressions and fading on the lining. The accessories are very fine. Mechanically excellent. These pistols are in virtually unfired condition.

As described in A.

Excellent with nearly 98% of the original blue finish on the barrel, the vast majority of the original case colors (richest on the pommel cap and breech plug), some slight handling and storage marks, crisp checkering and engraving, a few minor dings and light scratches in the wood, and attractive wood figure. Mechanically excellent. This is a very attractive complete set by one of the finest French maker's of dueling pistols and sporting arms, especially in the late 19th century and a fine reminder of the days in which many men defended their honor to their last breath.