A FINE PAIR OF 33-BORE BOHEMIAN SILVER-MOUNTED FLINTLOCK PISTOLS

Details

A FINE PAIR OF 33-BORE BOHEMIAN SILVER-MOUNTED FLINTLOCK PISTOLS

BY FERDINAND MORAWEK IN KRUMAU, LATE 18TH CENTURY

With blued swamped octagonal barrels each cut with seven grooves and with silver fore-sight, and stamped at the breech with seven gold-lined marks, two of them the maker's marks (Neue Støckel 7926, 7927), gold-lined touch-holes, burnished border engraved tangs numbered '1' and '2' and each incoporating the back-sight, signed border engraved burnished rounded locks each engraved with a monster-head on the tail and numbered 1 and 2 on the inner side, No. 2 pistol with leather thumbstall attached to the trigger-guard and covering the steel, figured moulded full stocks each carved in relief with flowers and foliage (one butt repaired), plain silver mounts of shaped outline including fore-end caps, silver escutcheons, double set triggers, original silver-tipped ramrods, and in fine original condition throughout
15½in. (39.4cm.) (2)

Provenance

Viscount Fitzharris, son of the Earl of Malmesbury, sold in these Rooms 15 December, 1949, lot 52

Lot Essay

The original owner was probably James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury (1746-1820). A distinguished diplomatist, he was ambassador in Berlin 1772-1776, and stood proxy for the Prince of Wales at his marriage to Princess Caroline of Brunswick in 1795, for which the Prince never forgave him, even though his role had been purely formal

Ferdinand Morawek (1754-1833) of Jenikau and Krumau (now Cesky Krumlov) worked from 1781 to 1791 for the Princes Auersperg, then from 1792 for Prince Joseph Schwarzenberg
The thumbstall was not merely for safety, but also to keep the face of the steel dry in damp weather

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