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And another!

"THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE" by Mueller Murgenthal
A UNIQUE, TRULY MAGNIFICENT OBJET D'ART DEPICTING MANKIND'S ETERNAL STRUGGLE TO TRANSIT FROM THE DARKNESS INTO THE LIGHT, based around a .300 Win Mag Blaser 'R93-Conception' rifle

A breath taking example of what can be achieved when the talents of the conceptual artist, spiritualist, jeweller, silversmith and gunsmith are combined. Completed in 2007, 'The Triumph of Love' is the design and concept of Vivian Mueller from the House of Mueller Murgenthal in Switzerland.

In the designer's own words:

'From the Darkness into the Light'
"The eternal battle between good and evil can be likened to the fight between evil power and the purity of inner freedom. This is a universal theme which mankind has been dealing with since the beginning of consciousness. The bipolarity of the theme is artistically provoking and is the base of the creative and artistic concept behind this rifle.

Whether Orient or Occident, we are all fighting against our bad side. Our primal calling is for us to release ourselves from hate, greed, jealousy, envy, anger and to turn to the light of peace and harmony that beckons to all human beings.

The remarkable symmetry of the rifle body affords the creative possibility to imagine halving the weapon into a left-hand side and a right-hand side. Thematically Orient and Occident are represented and reaching partly into each other to symbolise the intimate connection between each other.
Two giants, made of solid silver, who are locked in an unyielding inner fight, are lying on the left-hand and on the right-hand side of the back stock, clawing themselves desperately in the wood.
Solid silver arms and legs struggle desperately, through the hand inlayed wood of the back stock. The muscular bodies of the wrestling giants are reflected in the highly polished and shiny black - the gaping wounds are set with rubies. A few discrete attributes reference the fighting giants to their circle of culture - here a bangle in celtic style - there a richly decorated dagger with Arabesques.
Instead of closing the back stock, it is left open in a unique display and affords a view inside.
The legs and feet of the giants are partially visible as they push through to the underground in their delusion. They are allegorically sinking into hell in a delicate tableau that celebrates the links between life and the underworld.
In the inner sanctum resides the Lord of Death: In the style of the veneration of the Alemannic relics there is, protected through fine silver filigree, a hollow-eyed skull, the ambassador of death.

As a lighter and more hopeful opposite world of the "dark and gloomy" back stock - unfurls in the alignment of a crossing zone at the pistol grip/system block, the massive front stock which is made of solid silver, and the barrel.

Two flying allegorical figures, again representing Orient and Occident, are pursuing the hopeful goal of truth, love, goodness and peace.
Richly and sumptuously decorated, beautiful and pure like angels, the two figures holding each other's hands ardently and are flying into a new and hopeful future of consonance. They are decorated differently from each other and in the full consciousness of their diverseness: nevertheless, they are united in their pursuit of the happiness of life - symbolized by a putto in a rambunctious posture, sitting on the barrel. Vibrant life and vitality are the beginning of every existence.

It is up to us to make the best out of it

The colour scheme conforms to a sequence of various black colour tones in all shades. A brilliant white is also featured. Beginning at the dark back stock, the mixture of the titanium oxide and the sterling silver gets brighter along the pistol grip and manifests itself at the front stock and in particular at the barrel muzzle, in a brilliant white colour in the form of rhodium white.

The figures and ornaments are adorned with various kinds of precious stones, discrete and appropriate in colour to reflect the various themes. For example, rubies appear in the place of hell with a firework display of various tourmaline colours, which go from violet to aquamarine green. The change from dark back stock to the bright light of the "heavenly" front is insinuated by the appearance of "blue water" aquamarines and white diamonds.

The king-sized barrel is presenting a length of 86 centimetres. The cross section is changing from the round barrel root to a heart shaped barrel muzzle. The front third of the barrel is highly polished and without any engraving. The rest of the barrel shows deeply hand engraved, rhombus shapes and the motives of pomegranates, which are getting bigger and deeper in the direction of the barrel root.

The back stock is made of precious bird's-eye maple wood. The pistol grip which is made of sterling silver is also partly decorated with bird's-eye maple wood.

The surfaces of the various metals are partly titanium coated and partly plated with either sterling silver or 24 carat white / yellow gold."

The rifle has been closely constructed along the conceptual lines set out by the designer in the above piece, although the final masterpiece does demonstrate some slight deviations from the original schematic. It is presented in a full length case with suede effect interior with gold tooled 'The Triumph of Love' detail.

It is supplied with a single round of .300 Win mag ammunition; the case gold-plated and fully engraved with bold arabesques, the bullet chromed and shaped to form a heart at the tip.

The rifle comes with an aluminium bound monograph, 16in. by 16in., beautifully illustrated with stylised images of every aspect of the decoration. Many of the images are accompanied with fragments of significant verse, lore and insights into the specifics of the manufacturing process.

Estimate £120,000-160,000

http://auctions.holtandcompany.co.uk/asp...8&saletype=