The flintlock revolver gun from the Gatchina Palace and Estate Museum was made in the 1760-1780s by Arkhip Leontiev, the famous gunsmith of Tula. The relatively small size and calibre of the gun indicate that it was meant not for an adult but rather for a teenager, probably for Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, future Emperor Paul I. The gun arrived to the Gatchina Palace at the time of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and remained here until September 15, 1793. From 1823 till 1941 the gun was kept in the Arms Gallery, and in 1941 it was evacuated to the city of Sarapul. In 2007 it was temporarily transferred to the Gatchina Museum from the State Museum ‘Pavlovsk’ and a year later it became a permanent exhibit here. The signature ‘A. Leontiev’ on the lock most likely refers to the Tula gunsmith Arkhip Leontiev, who worked in the 1750-1780s. There is very little information about his life, but Russian and foreign museums (the Gatchina Palace Museum, the State Hermitage Museum, the Armoury Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin, the Tula State Museum of Weapons, the State Historical Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London) keep many samples of high quality weapons made by him. Among them there are not only forearms but also cold weapons. Just like many other Tula gunsmiths of that time, Leontiev easily adopted new trends and foreign influence, so his weapons show features typical to the style of gunsmiths from Northern Europe and England.

The barrel of the gun is made of forged iron. It is round with five flat planes at the breech end. The front sight is made of silver. The rear sight is made in the form of a frame under which runs a plate fixing the revolving cylinder. The breech is decorated with three images of branches with leaves and rose flowers inlaid with gold. The revolver cylinder has six chambers and is also decorated with rose branches inlaid with gold. The stock is inlaid with silver wire scrolls. The butt plate is decorated with a flower garland and a branch with leaves and flowers made in the same technique.