A group of 32 guns from the Armoury of the Royal House
The following collection of 32 early flint-lock rifles was produced circa 1700 for Duke George I of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, who also reigned as King of England in perso-nal union from 1714. These guns were held for centuries in the Armoury of the Royal House of Hanover, before passing as a complete group into private ownership in 2000.
Although some were made by different gun makers, the uniform style of the group gives them a homogenous appearance. Only a closer inspection reveals the minor variations and distinguishing features of the individual fire-arms. For example, in addition to two pairs of rifles, a number of weapons have a rare crossover stock. These were specially made for the mon-arch, who was blind in the right eye. The highlight is a shotgun with an early breech-loading action, which could be fitted with ready loaded chambers. As far as we know, this is the only surviving group from a royal armoury that is still in pri-vate ownership today. Many armouries, such as those belonging to the princes of Salm-Reifferscheidt, have been closed down and their contents disposed of all over the world. Other armoury collections have been acquired en bloc by museums and are thus no longer available on the market. This is therefore a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase an entire group of hunting rifles from a significant German armoury.
46-1: A flintlock shotgun, Bötner in Celle, circa 1680. The faceted barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, signed "Bötner-a-Celle" and a pivotable frizzen, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock, the openworked lock side plate in the shape of a serpent. The carved full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture and openworked thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs. Length 154 cm.
46-2: An Italian silver-mounted flintlock shotgun, circa 1700. The faceted, smooth-bore barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after girdles, somewhat over-polished engravings at the breech. The flintlock likewise engraved and slightly over-polished, the lock plate signed "Pomponi". The carved full stock with a chiselled iron butt cap and trigger guard, along with silver furniture, the thumb plate in the shape of a mascaron. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. Length 157 cm.
46-3: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1690. The barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after a chiselled girdle, the V-notch rear sight between two girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed "Hovel a Zell"), a pivotable frizzen and openworked lock side plate in the shape of a dragon, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. Modestly carved crossover stock with chiselled iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs, knocked. Length 158 cm.
46-4: A flintlock shotgun, Bötner in Celle, circa 1690. The barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, signed "Bötner a Zelle", and a pivotable frizzen, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock, floral, openworked lock side plate. The carved full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture and openworked thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. Length 156 cm.
46-5: A German flintlock shotgun, circa 1700. The grooved, smooth-bore barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, engraved with two horses in naive style and the signature "H. Letmat". The beautifully grained full stock with iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. Length 166 cm.
46-6: A pair of flintlock shotguns, Pierre Klenke in Celle, circa 1680. The faceted barrels in 17.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, with "Maffeo Franzino" inscribed at the breeches. The flintlocks with domed lock plates, the latter signed "Pierre Klenke à Selle". The modestly carved full stocks with chiselled iron furnitures and heart-shaped thumb plates. Iron-capped wooden ramrods. Length 162 cm.
46-7: A flintlock shotgun, Jan Sander in Hannover, circa 1680. The faceted barrel in 18.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after a girdle, with straight rifling, no twist. The flintlock with a pivotable frizzen and engraved linear borders, signed on the lock plate. The full stock with iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The iron parts with fine pitting in places. Length 147 cm.
46-8: A flintlock shotgun, Pierre Klenke in Celle, circa 1680. The faceted barrel in 17 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, signed "P-K" at the breech. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, signed "Pierre Klenke a Selle", modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture and drop-shaped thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs, several cracks. Length 152 cm.
46-9: A flintlock shotgun, Pierre Klenke in Celle, circa 1680. The faceted barrel in 17 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, signed “P-K” at the breech. The flint-lock with a domed lock plate, signed “Pierre Klenke a Selle”, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The full stock with modest-ly chiselled iron furniture and drop-shaped thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs, several cracks. Length 152 cm.
46-10: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1700. The smooth-bore barrel in 17 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles. Modestly engraved flintlock with a domed lock plate and a pivotable frizzen, signed on the lock plate. Beautifully grained full stock, the chiselled, openworked iron furniture with figurative engravings in places. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. A small crack on the right of the forearm at the upper ramrod thimble. Length 156 cm.
46-11: A flintlock shotgun, van Walsen in Maastricht, circa 1700. The lightly grooved barrel in 15.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, signed "Van Walsen". The full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. Several cracks on the butt and in the area of the second ramrod thimble. Length 156 cm.
46-12: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1680. The barrel in 16 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after a chiselled girdle, the V-notch rear sight in front of a girdle, pitting on the entire surface of the barrel. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed "Hoüel a Celz"), a pivotable frizzen and openworked lock side plate in the shape of a dragon, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The modestly carved crossover stock with chiselled iron furniture and engraved thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with several old repairs, the small of the stock knocked, a repaired crack in the forearm at the ramrod holder. Length 155 cm.
46-13: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1690. The barrel in 17.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after a chiselled girdle, the V-notch rear sight also after a girdle. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed "Hoüel a Cell"), a pivotable frizzen and floral, openworked lock side plate, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The crossover stock with chiselled iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with small, old repairs. Length 139 cm.
46-14: A German flintlock shotgun, circa 1690. The barrel in 15.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, brass-lined vent hole, pitting on the entire surface of the barrel. Pitting also on the flintlock with its domed lock plate, the lock side plate in the shape of a serpent, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The walnut full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture and openworked thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs. Length 156 cm.
46-15: A pair of German flintlock shotguns, circa 1700. The smooth-bore, baluster barrels in 15.5 mm calibre. The flintlocks with domed lock plates and a modest border of linear ornaments. The full stocks with modestly engraved iron furniture, crowned, vacant thumb plates on the small of the stocks. Iron-tipped wooden ramrods. The butts with several repairs, one shotgun with a small crack at the lock side plate. Length 159 cm each.
46-16: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1680. The round barrel in 16 mm calibre, the V-notch rear sight between two chiselled girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed "Hovel a Zell") and openworked lock side plate, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. Modestly carved crossover stock with chiselled iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with several old repairs, a small repair in the area of the second ramrod thimble. Length 154 cm.
46-17: A flintlock shotgun, Fontvieille in Celle, circa 1700. The smooth-bore barrel in 16 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles. Modestly engraved flintlock, the lock plate with a two-line signature, "Fonvielhe a Zelle", the lock side plate chiselled in the shape of a dragon. Burl wood full stock with chiselled and engraved iron furniture, the upper side of the butt with an iron plate, also in the shape of a dragon. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs, a small part cracked on the top of the butt, a repair in the forearm in the area of the ramrod holder. Length 155 cm.
46-18: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1680. The barrel in 18 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, the V-notch rear sight between two girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed...
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The following collection of 32 early flint-lock rifles was produced circa 1700 for Duke George I of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, who also reigned as King of England in perso-nal union from 1714. These guns were held for centuries in the Armoury of the Royal House of Hanover, before passing as a complete group into private ownership in 2000.
Although some were made by different gun makers, the uniform style of the group gives them a homogenous appearance. Only a closer inspection reveals the minor variations and distinguishing features of the individual fire-arms. For example, in addition to two pairs of rifles, a number of weapons have a rare crossover stock. These were specially made for the mon-arch, who was blind in the right eye. The highlight is a shotgun with an early breech-loading action, which could be fitted with ready loaded chambers. As far as we know, this is the only surviving group from a royal armoury that is still in pri-vate ownership today. Many armouries, such as those belonging to the princes of Salm-Reifferscheidt, have been closed down and their contents disposed of all over the world. Other armoury collections have been acquired en bloc by museums and are thus no longer available on the market. This is therefore a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase an entire group of hunting rifles from a significant German armoury.
46-1: A flintlock shotgun, Bötner in Celle, circa 1680. The faceted barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, signed "Bötner-a-Celle" and a pivotable frizzen, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock, the openworked lock side plate in the shape of a serpent. The carved full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture and openworked thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs. Length 154 cm.
46-2: An Italian silver-mounted flintlock shotgun, circa 1700. The faceted, smooth-bore barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after girdles, somewhat over-polished engravings at the breech. The flintlock likewise engraved and slightly over-polished, the lock plate signed "Pomponi". The carved full stock with a chiselled iron butt cap and trigger guard, along with silver furniture, the thumb plate in the shape of a mascaron. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. Length 157 cm.
46-3: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1690. The barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after a chiselled girdle, the V-notch rear sight between two girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed "Hovel a Zell"), a pivotable frizzen and openworked lock side plate in the shape of a dragon, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. Modestly carved crossover stock with chiselled iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs, knocked. Length 158 cm.
46-4: A flintlock shotgun, Bötner in Celle, circa 1690. The barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, signed "Bötner a Zelle", and a pivotable frizzen, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock, floral, openworked lock side plate. The carved full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture and openworked thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. Length 156 cm.
46-5: A German flintlock shotgun, circa 1700. The grooved, smooth-bore barrel in 16.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, engraved with two horses in naive style and the signature "H. Letmat". The beautifully grained full stock with iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. Length 166 cm.
46-6: A pair of flintlock shotguns, Pierre Klenke in Celle, circa 1680. The faceted barrels in 17.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, with "Maffeo Franzino" inscribed at the breeches. The flintlocks with domed lock plates, the latter signed "Pierre Klenke à Selle". The modestly carved full stocks with chiselled iron furnitures and heart-shaped thumb plates. Iron-capped wooden ramrods. Length 162 cm.
46-7: A flintlock shotgun, Jan Sander in Hannover, circa 1680. The faceted barrel in 18.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after a girdle, with straight rifling, no twist. The flintlock with a pivotable frizzen and engraved linear borders, signed on the lock plate. The full stock with iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The iron parts with fine pitting in places. Length 147 cm.
46-8: A flintlock shotgun, Pierre Klenke in Celle, circa 1680. The faceted barrel in 17 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, signed "P-K" at the breech. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, signed "Pierre Klenke a Selle", modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture and drop-shaped thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs, several cracks. Length 152 cm.
46-9: A flintlock shotgun, Pierre Klenke in Celle, circa 1680. The faceted barrel in 17 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, signed “P-K” at the breech. The flint-lock with a domed lock plate, signed “Pierre Klenke a Selle”, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The full stock with modest-ly chiselled iron furniture and drop-shaped thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs, several cracks. Length 152 cm.
46-10: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1700. The smooth-bore barrel in 17 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles. Modestly engraved flintlock with a domed lock plate and a pivotable frizzen, signed on the lock plate. Beautifully grained full stock, the chiselled, openworked iron furniture with figurative engravings in places. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. A small crack on the right of the forearm at the upper ramrod thimble. Length 156 cm.
46-11: A flintlock shotgun, van Walsen in Maastricht, circa 1700. The lightly grooved barrel in 15.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round. The flintlock with a domed lock plate, signed "Van Walsen". The full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. Several cracks on the butt and in the area of the second ramrod thimble. Length 156 cm.
46-12: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1680. The barrel in 16 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after a chiselled girdle, the V-notch rear sight in front of a girdle, pitting on the entire surface of the barrel. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed "Hoüel a Celz"), a pivotable frizzen and openworked lock side plate in the shape of a dragon, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The modestly carved crossover stock with chiselled iron furniture and engraved thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with several old repairs, the small of the stock knocked, a repaired crack in the forearm at the ramrod holder. Length 155 cm.
46-13: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1690. The barrel in 17.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after a chiselled girdle, the V-notch rear sight also after a girdle. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed "Hoüel a Cell"), a pivotable frizzen and floral, openworked lock side plate, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The crossover stock with chiselled iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with small, old repairs. Length 139 cm.
46-14: A German flintlock shotgun, circa 1690. The barrel in 15.5 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, brass-lined vent hole, pitting on the entire surface of the barrel. Pitting also on the flintlock with its domed lock plate, the lock side plate in the shape of a serpent, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. The walnut full stock with modestly chiselled iron furniture and openworked thumb plate. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs. Length 156 cm.
46-15: A pair of German flintlock shotguns, circa 1700. The smooth-bore, baluster barrels in 15.5 mm calibre. The flintlocks with domed lock plates and a modest border of linear ornaments. The full stocks with modestly engraved iron furniture, crowned, vacant thumb plates on the small of the stocks. Iron-tipped wooden ramrods. The butts with several repairs, one shotgun with a small crack at the lock side plate. Length 159 cm each.
46-16: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1680. The round barrel in 16 mm calibre, the V-notch rear sight between two chiselled girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed "Hovel a Zell") and openworked lock side plate, modestly engraved linear borders and chiselled cock. Modestly carved crossover stock with chiselled iron furniture. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with several old repairs, a small repair in the area of the second ramrod thimble. Length 154 cm.
46-17: A flintlock shotgun, Fontvieille in Celle, circa 1700. The smooth-bore barrel in 16 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles. Modestly engraved flintlock, the lock plate with a two-line signature, "Fonvielhe a Zelle", the lock side plate chiselled in the shape of a dragon. Burl wood full stock with chiselled and engraved iron furniture, the upper side of the butt with an iron plate, also in the shape of a dragon. Iron-capped wooden ramrod. The butt with old repairs, a small part cracked on the top of the butt, a repair in the forearm in the area of the ramrod holder. Length 155 cm.
46-18: A flintlock shotgun, Hovel in Celle, circa 1680. The barrel in 18 mm calibre, octagonal at the breech, turning to round after chiselled girdles, the V-notch rear sight between two girdles. The flintlock with a domed lock plate (signed...
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