Identify Rifle on a Statue

[Missouri_8th_Infantry]

I recently purchased this very heavy, 16" tall, all-bronze statue. I like it because it looks like a 20-something year-old young man. The average age of a combatant during the ACW was 25, but the great majority of statues I see portray reenactment-aged men.

I have a boat load of questions and hope you can help answer them:
1. Not that period statues are ever 100% accurate, but is that a breech-loading mechanism in front of the rifle's hammer? If so, it rules out being an ACW-era rifle.
2. The kepi seems to have a roundel (which I learned today is actually called a "cockade" when on a hat and called a "roundel" only when it is on a vehicle). Were they ever used in the USA?
3. This statue has a plate with the word "ARMY" on it. There is an almost identical statue for sale on eBay that has the words "MARKSMENS' TROPHY" instead of "ARMY". That one is engraved "TIFFANY & Co." and is listed for $3800!!! Unfortunately for me, mine does not say Tiffany and Co. and has no maker's mark.

A complete guess based on all of the evidence is that I have a presentation trophy that was given to the top marksman or team of marksmen. Given that Tiffany & Co. is an American company, that the engraved words are in English and that it says "Army", I will further guess that this was issued by the US Army... perhaps at West Point? If anyone has any other guesses or knows anything else, I'd greatly appreciate hearing from you.

 

[johan_steele]

That isn't a statue of an ACW soldier but of a French soldier circa Franco-Prussian War with what looks like a cartridge conversion of a French percussion rifle.

 

[Missouri_8th_Infantry]

That isn't a statue of an ACW soldier but of a French soldier circa Franco-Prussian War with what looks like a cartridge conversion of a French percussion rifle.

Looks like you may be right that the sculptor may have modeled it after a French soldier, but given that the two statues are written in English, I suspect they were both given in the USA. We all know the French, especially during that time period, hated the use of English as French held the title of Lingua Franca. I'm adding a picture of the base of the Tiffany statue. Do you know of such a practice in the states?

 

[johan_steele]

Looks like you may be right that the sculptor may have modeled it after a French soldier, but given that the two statues are written in English, I suspect they were both given in the USA. We all know the French, especially during that time period, hated the use of English as French held the title of Lingua Franca. I'm adding a picture of the base of the Tiffany statue. Do you know of such a practice in the states?

View attachment 431319

I really don't know. I was commenting on the weapon and style of uniform. You have to understand that France was seen as the premier military of the world until the Prussians won the Franco Prussian War and sculptors are not often all that accurate in the equipment they portray. It looks like a nice sculpture, honestly like a still out of the book Downfall (La Debacale) by Emile Zola which was a rather popular work at the turn of the last century.

 

[connecticut yankee]

The statue was made in a pair. One is "Army" Other is "Navy". Made by the Bradley & Hubbard Maufacturing Co.,Meriden, CT. circa. 1890 - 1920. These statues were not made of bronze, rather made of spelter. [Spelter is a zinc–lead alloy that ages to resemble bronze, but is softer and has a lower melting point. The name can also refer to a copper–zinc alloy (a brass) used for brazing, or to pure zinc.]

There are examples for sale on the web, individually and the pair. Prices are generally between $100 - $500.

As an aside, these statues are always listed as depicting "a Civil War Soldier" or "Civil War Sailor". But do they really?!?

 

[Missouri_8th_Infantry]

View attachment 431329
The statue was made in a pair. One is "Army" Other is "Navy". Made by the Bradley & Hubbard Maufacturing Co.,Meriden, CT. circa. 1890 - 1920. These statues were not made of bronze, rather made of spelter. [Spelter is a zinc–lead alloy that ages to resemble bronze, but is softer and has a lower melting point. The name can also refer to a copper–zinc alloy (a brass) used for brazing, or to pure zinc.]

There are examples for sale on the web, individually and the pair. Prices are generally between $100 - $500.

As an aside, these statues are always listed as depicting "a Civil War Soldier" or "Civil War Sailor". But do they really?!?

Bingo, you hit the nail on the head. Apparently they were made in the 1890s and are "supposed" to be Civil War servicemen. Good call by @johan_steele saying they likely used a French print as a template. This is why I posted this here, great minds. I found this one which closely resembled the one I have:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185278746770?hash=item2b23795092:g:J28AAOSwFqRh-h4J

 

[Missouri_8th_Infantry]

I really don't know. I was commenting on the weapon and style of uniform. You have to understand that France was seen as the premier military of the world until the Prussians won the Franco Prussian War and sculptors are not often all that accurate in the equipment they portray. It looks like a nice sculpture, honestly like a still out of the book Downfall (La Debacale) by Emile Zola which was a rather popular work at the turn of the last century.

Looks like you were right and it is supposed to represent a French Tabatière rifle which was developed from 1864 as a breech-loading conversion. Most of the conversion work had been accomplished by the time of the Franco-Prussian War.

 

[Craig L Barry]

It could be worse, see the Highland County CS War Memorial statue in Monterrey, Virginia (https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=16663) the sculptor gave the Confederate soldier an Enfield... a WWI-era Lee-Enfield with a clip.

 

[Missouri_8th_Infantry]

It could be worse, see the Highland County CS War Memorial statue in Monterrey, Virginia (https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=16663) the sculptor gave the Confederate soldier an Enfield... a WWI-era Lee-Enfield with a clip.

Now that is a really big time blunder.

 

[John Hartwell]

I wouldn't be surprised if they were cast from molds imported from France. Are they artist-signed?

 

[Missouri_8th_Infantry]

I wouldn't be surprised if they were cast from molds imported from France. Are they artist-signed?

Looks like Bradley & Hubbard were one of the top artistic metal working companies, so it is unlikely:

"By the 1890s, the Bradley and Hubbard name was synonymous with high quality and artistic merit," said Richard E. Stamm for the Smithsonian Institution, which has an extensive collection of Bradley and Hubbard manufactured design objects in its collection.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_&_Hubbard_Manufacturing_Company

Besides, Tiffany & Co. made a very similar statue but there are enough differences that neither looks like it was done from a mold of the other. Here is the Tiffany one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/223865646176

 

[7thWisconsin]

I really don't know. I was commenting on the weapon and style of uniform. You have to understand that France was seen as the premier military of the world until the Prussians won the Franco Prussian War and sculptors are not often all that accurate in the equipment they portray. It looks like a nice sculpture, honestly like a still out of the book Downfall (La Debacale) by Emile Zola which was a rather popular work at the turn of the last century.

I really like Zola, and ¨La Debacle¨ is one of my favorite books! It would make a great limited series. The double-breasted tunic on the figure is a dead giveaway, as well as the rifle detail. It´s a really nice figure, though. Now I want to paint Franco-Prussian minis!
BTW - ¨tabatiere¨ means ¨snuffbox¨ , which is an obvious reference to the breech opening mechanism.