If you go to the dictionary and look up the word "baroque", there should be a picture of the French gun there, just to help you grasp the concept.
Somewhere, art and tool should have a strong dividing line, which becomes blurred in cases like this. It is indeed useful as art, but, that leaves the shooter in me a bit sad.
I feel the same way at an art car parade. I once saw a legit 340 Duster with seashells glued all over it.
Of course the gun belongs in a museum. I can't explain exactly why, but, I would be way more interested in a regular old Kentucky rifle, showing heavy grease staining around the patch box, and many years of use. Many, many years. But, I'd rather see the Kentucky rifle outside the museum.
I hope people "get" that.
Best,
Ted
