Brent, I quite agree. "Art on hunting arms" was and properly is about the invocation of the essence of things, not the objective appearance of things. Essentially it's about magic. And if you don't feel some of that magic when you see or pick up a hunting gun or knife--the same magic that takes you out of a warm bed into a cold dawn--to me there's something wrong.

For example, most "bullino" engraving, while I very much appreciate the technical and artistic expertise involved, leaves me cold. The "heavy chiseling" on these Germanic lowalls doesn't. Bullino is quite correctly called "banknote engraving"--much of it has more to do with banks and their whole milieu than with hunting as we know it.