IL Bulino

Engraving a hunting scene is always particularly difficult, and the engraver who sets out to accomplish it must be very capable. Because of the strong advancement made by some Italian engravers in recent years, and the increasing acclaim of its artistic value, many clients now ask for hunting scences to be engraved on their guns. Given that the sporting gun is principally used for hunting, it is little wonder that the hunter wishes to have the main characters of the hunting world reproduced on his shotgun: his faithful companion (his dog), the wild fowl, and the natural scenery where the action takes place. In fact, most often the hunter tries wherever possible not to use generic hunting scenes but scenes with reflect the type of hunting he prefers, with the same breed of dog and the same type of fowl hunted. Some have images of their own dogs engraved on the gun. The landscape of a game scene engraving has all of the qualities found in a painting, such as perspective, contrast, depth, and proper light/shade balance. To accomplish a beautiful game scene requires expert ability.