I don't know what to make of this provenance. When I searched for Czar Nicholas III the best I could find was here http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/nicholasii.htm Czar Nicholas II is said to be the last czar. Mr. Bolino was wise to find another employer that year. The website states: Moved to the Siberian city of Ekaterinburg by the Bolsheviks, Nicholas and his family were executed on the night of 16/17 July 1918. What stories could that rifle tell?
I wish I could have found more of Gino Bulino's work. Could his engraving techniques have brought about the use of the term bulino engraving?
Bulino is simply the Italian word for burin. In the letter the name is spelled Bullino. I have never heard of a famous Italian engraver named Bullino but there were many engravers without much recognition in the early 1900's.
Joseph, does this look like Italian engraving to you?
I know nothing of the history of gun engraving, but to my eye the quality of the carving does not match with what I would expect from a family which commissioned Faberge eggs. (And I agree that the last czar named Nicholas was II). Strikes me as questionable.
Gary
I'm glad you said that. It was my first impression also! It may just be a fluke due to the photo quality, but it sure looks like a "French sand" casting to me, (and a relatively poor one, at that). It appears more "south of the border" than Italian in design and execution. But, I'm sure no expert.