A stunning and historic flintlock shotgun of French origin, this is the gun of revolutionaries. It began its life in the shop of Bacheron Pirmet in Paris in 1822 and crossed the Atlantic about 1824, destined to be presented to El Libertador Simón Bolívar on behalf of the Marquis de Lafayette.

The hero of the American and French revolutions arrived in New York in mid-August 1824 for his famous grand tour of the United States celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the American, French and Spanish victory over the British during the American War of Independence. At the same time, Simón Bolívar continued to lead independence efforts in Central and South America.

The cased set was then taken to Lima, Peru, and presented on behalf of the Marquis de Lafayette to Bolívar. Bolívar wrote to Lafayette personally thanking him for the honors bestowed upon him, which also included multiple fine French firearms as well as a lock of George Washington’s hair, a portrait of Washington, and other mementos from Washington’s family. In 1830, the shotgun along with a cased pair of Boutet pistols were presented by Bolívar’s romantic partner and fellow revolutionary Manuela Sáenz to Richard (Ricardo) Stonhewer Illingworth, an Englishman long allied with Bolívar.

It remained in the Illingworth family for generations until it was acquired by the renowned antique firearms authority and collector W. Keith Neal who in turn sold the gun to his dear friend Norman R. Blank in 1962. The flintlock shotgun remained in Blank’s collection for over half a century, tucked away for two decades after Mr. Blank’s death in 2004. Now, for the first time in its storied history, this stunning gun is available at public auction. Adding to this significance is the fact that it is the last known Simon Bolívar firearm in private hands. It is already garnering international attention.

A Stunning Shotgun from Baucheron Pirmet of Paris

Even without its illustrious past, this 16 bore shotgun would be noteworthy given its beauty and condition. The gun is signed “BAUCHERON PIRMET A PARIS” in gold inlay on both of the lock plates and the barrel rib. The inside of the lock plates are numbered “664” and dated “1822” giving us the year the gun was made. It is richly ornamented throughout with beautiful engraving, inlays, and silver mounts displaying an overall classical hunting theme. The forend cap features Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, with a crescent moon, arrow and quiver, and doe in clouds. Artemis appears again on the buttplate finial firing her bow and accompanied by a dog at her feet. The trigger guard finial meanwhile features the Greek hero Meleager,  the famous host of the Calydonian boar hunt, depicted nude with a spear, dog, and a boar's head on a pedestal. The trigger guard bow features a hunting horn and boar hanging from a tree and a seated dog. The buttplate features a pair of dogs subduing a wolf on the left and a dog pursuing a hare on the right. The stock completes the hunting theme with a finely carved boar's head at the checkered wrist, accented by oak branches.

The gun’s case lid has a brass plaque inscribed: "Manuela Sáenz saluda al Señor/Ricardo Stonhewer Illingworth y le/ofrece una Escopeta por haver sido esta del uso del Liberatador./Bogatá. Junio 1 de 1830." along with Manuela Saenz' personal cipher. The inscription has been translated to: "Manuela Saenz greets Mr. Richard Stonhewer Illingworth and offers him a Shotgun for having been of use to the Liberator. Bogatá. June 1, 1830."

The Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire once counted among its possessions the western half of North America, all of Central America, the western portion of South America as well as numerous islands. For centuries, the Spanish competed with other European nations, most notably the British Empire, for global power. The defeat of the great Spanish Armada by the English in 1588 marked a turning point for Spain’s dominance, but Spain continued to expand its territories, gaining the western portion of the Louisiana Territory from France at the end of the Seven Years War (French & Indian War). Their rivalry with England and alliance with France drew Spain into the American War for Independence and increased Spain’s territories, including the capture of Florida.

The French Revolution in the late 18th century and early 19th century posed a new threat to the Spanish Empire and Spain itself. In 1800, Spain secretly ceded Louisiana back to France although the French did not take actual control. The territory was famously sold to the United States in 1803 setting Spain on a collision course with the expanding United States. King Charles IV and the Spanish government allied themselves with the French and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, but Napoleon soon betrayed his ally, occupied Spain, and placed his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne. This upheaval added to the Spanish Empire’s existing tensions in the Americas. A well-educated young man from a prominent Venezuelan family emerged to lead the revolutionaries in much of the region against the imperial forces: Simón Bolívar.

El Libertador: Simón Bolívar

Bolívar was born into an aristocratic family on July 24, 1783, in Caracas, Venezuela, then part of New Granada. His father died when he was just three years old, and his mother died six years later. Despite the loss of his parents, he had a privileged upbringing and was well-educated. At the age of 16, he traveled to Europe to complete his education. He married a young Spanish noblewoman in 1801 and returned to Caracas but tragically lost her less than a year into their marriage when she succumbed to yellow fever. In 1804, he returned to Europe and continued to study Enlightenment philosophy and witnessed the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte as emperor of the French Empire. Though he initially looked up to Bonaparte for his courage, leadership, and great military victories, Bolívar came to view the emperor as a tyrant and traitor.

Bolívar vowed to return to the Americas to liberate his homeland from Spanish rule. In 1807, he crossed the Atlantic to the United States. With Spain in turmoil at home from the Peninsular War and French occupation, rebels in their American colonies fought to overthrow the royalists. Bolívar traveled back across the Atlantic to England in 1810 to seek support for the cause. The following year, he spoke out in support of Venezuelan independence which was declared on July 5, 1811, but quickly fell back into Spanish control.

He pushed on, publishing “The Cartagena Manifesto” and calling for a strong united effort to oust Spain from its American territories. Bolivar soon took command of the rebel forces and recaptured Caracas on Aug. 6, 1813, embroiling the country in a brutal civil war. Venezuela fell again to the Spanish the following year. After further setbacks, Bolívar fled to Jamaica, then a part of the British Empire, and again sought British aid to create an independent nation out of Spain’s New World colonies.

Though he did not secure formal support from the British or American governments, Bolívar employed thousands of English and Irish mercenaries hardened by fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. He also received support from Haiti which had recently freed itself from France in a historic large-scale slave rebellion that reverberated across the world, including in the United States.

Bolívar liberated New Grenada in 1819 and entered Bogotá in triumph and became its president and military dictator of Gran Colombia. Spain’s control in the Americas was slipping, and Bolívar and the revolutionaries were gaining support. At the same time, Spain swirled in turmoil, and Bolivar maneuvered to secure control of Venezuela by 1821. Soon, Ecuador fell, and Bolivar liberated Peru and entered Lima in September 1823. Upper Peru was the last colony under Spanish royalist control, but fell to revolutionaries in April 1825 and was renamed Bolivia. Bolivar’s power was at its height.

Bolivar became known as El Libertador: The Liberator. Some called him the George Washington of the South, and he initially received praise from many liberal leaders, including the Marquis de Lafayette who sent the shotgun and other gifts to Bolivar around this time. Bolivar wrote back to Lafayette extending his thanks both for the gifts and the honors they represented.

At the same time, revolutionaries in other Spanish American colonies secured their liberation. An attempt at an alliance between the new countries failed. War soon returned, including civil war in Gran Colombia as multiple factions vied for control. Many of Bolívar’s former allies turned against him as he attempted to expand his authority and secure lifelong power.

La Libertadora del Libertador: Manuela Sáenz

Manuela Sáenz was an illegitimate child of a wealthy Spaniard and was sent to a convent when her mother died. She married a wealthy English merchant and became devoted to the cause of independence. Bolívar and Sáenz fell in love in 1822, the same year the Pirmet shotgun was made. Sáenz was far more than just his mistress. She was an active participant in the cause and was trusted by Bolívar to handle affairs in his absence. On Sept. 25, 1828, she was with Bolívar in the presidential palace in Bogotá when 37 men broke into the palace to assassinate him. Sáenz woke Bolívar, and he escaped out a window while she delayed the attackers. In recognition of her role in saving his life, Sáenz was given the honorific “La Libertadora del Libertador” (The Liberator of the Liberator).

By this time, Bolívar’s health was in decline. He struggled with tuberculosis. As his health diminished, so did his hopes of a united country formed from the former colonies. Instead, the new countries fought against one another for territory. Bolívar went into exile in May 1830, intending to head to Europe. Instead, when his successor Antonio José de Sucre was assassinated during the dissolution of Gran Colombia, Bolívar turned back and traveled to a Spaniard’s estate near Santa Marta in northern Colombia. On December 17, 1830, eleven years to the day that the Republic of Colombia (Gran Colombia) was proclaimed and Bolívar was made its first president, he died. Among those by his side was Englishman Belford Hinton Wilson, son of then-British Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Wilson.

After Bolívar left, Sáenz continued to handle his affairs and settle his accounts, including presenting the cased shotgun and cased pistols to Richard (Ricardo) Stonhewer Illingworth on June 1, 1830. With Bolívar gone, her prospects diminished rapidly. She attempted suicide following his death and was exiled from Bogotá in 1834 and went to Peru. She continued to be actively involved in South American affairs into the 1840s but spent much of her later years obscure and impoverished. Sáenz left behind artifacts and documents related to her time with Bolívar when she died in 1856.

Richard Stonhewer Illingworth

Richard Stonhewer Illingworth (1797-1884), known in the Americas as Ricardo Illingworth, was a close associate of Bolívar's. Prior to his involvement in South America, he worked in the British Army in 1812-1822 in the pay office and commissariat department. In 1822, he was employed by the British firm of Jones, Powles, Hurry & Co. as their manager in Bogotá, Colombia. John Diston Powles had substantial investments in South American mines and also bankrolled hundreds of British mercenaries fighting in the region. His companies purchased shares in mines sold by Bolívar, and in one of Powles’s failed mining ventures, Bolívar was a partner leaving him indebted to English creditors when Powles went bankrupt in 1826.

Illingworth, as the representative for the firm in Bogotá, was directly involved in these business ventures and became a partner in Powles, Illingworth & Co. He remained directly involved in Bolívar’s financial affairs, particularly in Bolívar’s final years and even thereafter as he settled debts.

By 1822, Illingworth’s older brother Admiral John William Illingworth (1786-1853) (known as Juan Illingrot and Juan Illingworth Hunt), a former British naval officer, was also already established in the region and was also an ally of Bolívar. He had joined the Chilean Navy in 1817 and helped Bolívar defeat the Spanish ships, receiving a serious facial wound that led to him wearing a metal plate and earning the nickname “Silver Face." He became a colonel in the Colombian Army in 1821 and won multiple victories and then was appointed by Bolívar as the Civil and Military Chief and Mayor of Guayaquil in 1822 where he settled, started a family, and founded a naval school. He was active in both land and naval forces for many years thereafter in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador during periods of renewed conflict, including conducting the expedition to Cartagena in 1826 and fighting in Bolívar’s war with Peru in 1828. Bolívar noted that “Illingworth is the most capable seafaring man we have.” He is regarded as a National Hero of Ecuador.

The Lilly Library at Indiana University holds a collection of Richard Illingworth’s business papers from 1816-1880 which provide some insights into the close relationship with Bolívar. In “The Lilly Library from A to Z” by Darlene J. Sadler, she notes that Bolívar in a letter to John Illingworth on June 9, 1830, “expresses his friendship and asks Illingworth to give the money from the sale of a mule to Manuela Sáenz, who was a colonel in the revolutionary army as well as Bolívar’s companion and love interest. Two months later, on Aug. 2, 1830, Bolívar wrote to Richard Illingworth, thanking him for his efforts on an unspecified mission…” This mission may have involved Bolívar’s initial plans to head to Europe in 1830, especially given that in the same letter Bolívar writes about traveling to England, but it may have also been financial in nature. On June 1, 1830, Richard Illingworth received the cased firearms from Manuela Sáenz, so these events took place around the same time and were likely related to one another.

After Bolívar’s death, John Illingworth was notified of his passing by Fernando Bolívar and a year later also received a lock of Bolívar’s hair from Sáenz which also remains in the university’s collection. The presentation of multiple valuable firearms along with the lock of hair demonstrates a close relationship between Bolívar and the Illingworths. Locks of hair are well-known to have been exchanged as tokens of connection between close friends and family members.

As discussed in “Por Bolívar y La Gloria: La Asombrosa Vida de Manuela Sáenz” by Pamela S. Murray, by 1829, Manuela Sáenz was already actively fostering closer ties with Bolívar’s allies, including the Illingworths. Both brothers were by that time successful businessmen and leaders of the British community in the region and thus important allies. The wealthy and connected Illingworths fared far better though they were at times faced with adversity due to their past work with Bolívar, including John Illingworth being temporarily exiled from his ranch in Peru. He was later a deputy in the Ecuadorian Congress in 1848.

Richard Illingworth returned to England and married in 1835. He remained active in ventures in South America, including as an auditor and director of the St. John d’el Rey Mining Company formed in 1830 which operated gold mines in Brazil. He died in Hyde Park in 1884, leaving behind Bolívar’s shotgun and pistols to his family.

W. Keith Neal and Norman R. Blank

In the 1930s, W. Keith Neal of England was already a recognized collector of fine antique arms. During World War II, he sold antique arms in the United States to raise funds for modern arms for the British Special Operations Executive. At the end of the war, he continued to expand his collection, purchasing large numbers of fine arms from noble estates across Europe and writing numerous publications on antique arms.

In addition to purchasing pieces for his own collection, he sold fine and historic arms to his fellow collectors, including his American friend Norman R. Blank of California. Many of the finest firearms in the Norman R. Blank Collection came from Neal. Since Neal was well aware of Blank’s fondness for fine antique European firearms, it is no surprise that he sold Bolívar’s shotgun to his close friend in 1962.

Bolívar’s Last Gun

Bolívar’s shotgun has the trifecta of world history, artistry, and high condition that has shown again and again to be a recipe for high values at Rock Island Auction Company. This fine flintlock shotgun is in tremendous condition with its gold inlays and fine engraving that tells the tale of the Calydonian boar hunt of ancient Greek mythology. The gun, believed to be the last owned by Bolivar still in private hands, carries the weight of a man who changed history and the governing paradigm in South and Central America. A bespoke tribute to the revolutionary life of Simón Bolívar is an opportunity that collectors will likely never see again, and it will be on offer in Rock Island Auction Company’s Aug. 15-17 Premier Auction.