François PRÉLAT (died in Paris on May 11, 1859) - Harquebusier to the Count of Artois - 26 rue de la Paix, Paris. Rare mahogany dueling pistol case decorated with a brass cartouche "NS" under a count's crown. The interior is entirely lined with green velvet, with the harquebusier's lid marked in gold. It contains a pair of percussion dueling pistols. Blued octagonal barrels signed on the upper sides "PRELAT A PARIS" and numbered 1 and 2. Finely chased locks decorated with foliage and scrolls and signed by the harquebusier. Finely squared burr amboyna stocks. Complete with all accessories: red copper powder flask with brass measuring spout, rosewood-handled screwdriver for dismantling chimneys, rosewood mallet and tamping rods, bullet mold.... Louis XVIII period circa 1820 TBE. Length of pistols: 39.5 cm. Case: 10 x 44.5 x 34 cm Note: François PRELAT, nicknamed "le curé" by his competitors, obtained a privilege as "arquebusier to the Comte d'Artois", the future Charles X, during the Restoration. Between 1808 and 1812, he is credited with having invented the first modern cartridge in collaboration with Swiss gunsmith Jean Samuel Pauly.