1529

VERY FINE PAIR OF 17TH CENTURY GERMANIC GUN BUTT FLINTLOCK PISTOLS.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD
VERY FINE PAIR OF 17TH CENTURY GERMANIC GUN BUTT FLINTLOCK PISTOLS.
NSN. Cal. .530 Groove diameter. 11-1/2" Swamped, octagonal bbls lightly engraved at breech and muzzle ends, are fitted with fine V-notch rear sights, with filed acanthus finials. Rifled with 6 deep grooves. Late 17th century style locks with round bodied plates have deeply grooved chamfers and end in long tails. They are fitted with inset rounded pans and mounted with chamfered unbridled friction frizzens. Long bladed springs have beaded finials. Round bodied serpentine cocks are lightly scroll engraved. Lockplates are engraved with birds perched on tendrils of scroll. Fluted trigger guards have beaded central rib with rounded tangs having ball finials. Locks attach with two screws through floral bone escutcheons. Short gun butts have rounded steel plates. European walnut stocks have simple moldings around ramrod channels and locks, with scroll carving at front end of cheekpieces. There are sliding patchboxes on left sides of stocks, one compartment holds worm, which attaches to steel ends of hickory ramrods with scrimmed bone tips. Stocks which extend to muzzles have scroll engraved bone tips, and are nicely embellished overall with interesting scrimmed bone inlays and inlaid bone scroll. Inlay above cheekpieces depicts hunter with spear warding off rearing bear. Bird theme of lockplates continues with pair of birds on raised portion opposite lock, and another pair perched on scroll on right sides of stocks. Rabbits are in circular bone inlays behind bbl tangs. Patchbox covers have scroll engraving on large bone bases and tips. PROVENANCE: Research indicates that these pistols were sold as lot 73 in the Couturier Nicolay Paris sale 19 Oct 1983 as part of the dispersal of Charles Draeger's collection. Previously sold at Sotheby's London 20 March 1967. CONDITION: Very fine. Metal parts cleaned overall to a silver gray over scattered light pinprick pitting. Stocks retain a considerable amount of what is probably an old varnish refinish. Bone inlay has mellowed nicely. There is a 4" repair on left side bbl channel of one pistol which also has a small area chipped out behind lockplate. The other pistol also shows repairs mostly to right portion of forepiece around bbl channel extending down to ramrod channel, also with a check on right bottom from front portion of lock to trigger guard mounting screw, otherwise pistols are sound with excellent inlay having no noticeable repairs. 4-47182 MGM90