A German Wheel-Lock Rifle Of Unusually Small Bore Dated 1642
A German Wheel-Lock Rifle Of Unusually Small Bore
Dated 1642
With swamped octagonal sighted barrel rifled with six spiral grooves and decorated at a later date with encrusted silver scrollwork bearing berries and dots at the muzzle and along the top flat over the length of the breech, tang and flat lock decorated en suite, the latter with wheel-cover pierced with trefoils, sliding pan-cover with baluster finial, pierced cock, and chiselled cock-spring with terminal en suite with the pan-cover, fruitwood full stock (some old splits and repairs) inlaid in white staghorn or bone engraved with various birds including parrots, a peacock, an ostrich, an eagle and an owl on the cheek-piece, the last perched on a stump, and along the bottom of the butt with a griffin armed with a falchion, a hawk attacking a hare, a bat and two parrots, sliding patch-box cover inlaid with birds en suite, and all against a ground of scrollwork and dots, foliate engraved staghorn panels (one barrel retaining pin washer incomplete) flanking the tang, along the top of the butt and along the bottom of the cheek-piece, the latter dated in an oval, a small panel behind the tang with stockmaker's conjoined monogram 'CMHR', a horn butt-plate engraved with a huntsman framed by an inscription in old German 'here ich drag ein Hasn. ich het in feill. der Vätter hat in ingefangen. das billigste in gib. bins geei(?) paszn', trigger-guard indented for the fingers and decorated en suite with the lock, adjustable set trigger, foliate engraved ramrod-pipe, fore-end cap and tip of the ramrod
82.5 cm. barrel
Provenance
Sotheby's London, The Hever Castle Collection, The Property of the Lord Astor of Hever, Arms and Armour, 5 May 1983, lot 77
Bid on this lot
A German Wheel-Lock Rifle Of Unusually Small Bore
Dated 1642
With swamped octagonal sighted barrel rifled with six spiral grooves and decorated at a later date with encrusted silver scrollwork bearing berries and dots at the muzzle and along the top flat over the length of the breech, tang and flat lock decorated en suite, the latter with wheel-cover pierced with trefoils, sliding pan-cover with baluster finial, pierced cock, and chiselled cock-spring with terminal en suite with the pan-cover, fruitwood full stock (some old splits and repairs) inlaid in white staghorn or bone engraved with various birds including parrots, a peacock, an ostrich, an eagle and an owl on the cheek-piece, the last perched on a stump, and along the bottom of the butt with a griffin armed with a falchion, a hawk attacking a hare, a bat and two parrots, sliding patch-box cover inlaid with birds en suite, and all against a ground of scrollwork and dots, foliate engraved staghorn panels (one barrel retaining pin washer incomplete) flanking the tang, along the top of the butt and along the bottom of the cheek-piece, the latter dated in an oval, a small panel behind the tang with stockmaker's conjoined monogram 'CMHR', a horn butt-plate engraved with a huntsman framed by an inscription in old German 'here ich drag ein Hasn. ich het in feill. der Vätter hat in ingefangen. das billigste in gib. bins geei(?) paszn', trigger-guard indented for the fingers and decorated en suite with the lock, adjustable set trigger, foliate engraved ramrod-pipe, fore-end cap and tip of the ramrod
82.5 cm. barrel
Provenance
Sotheby's London, The Hever Castle Collection, The Property of the Lord Astor of Hever, Arms and Armour, 5 May 1983, lot 77
