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A Very Rare Cased Pair Of 60-Bore Breech-Loading Flintlock Pistols On The La Chaumette System

BY WILLIAM 1 JOVER, LONDON, CIRCA 1775

Details

A Very Rare Cased Pair Of 60-Bore Breech-Loading Flintlock Pistols On The La Chaumette System
By William 1 Jover, London, circa 1775
With rebrowned swamped octagonal sighted barrels signed in front of the back-sight, engraved with a band of beadwork at the rear, and cut with twelve rectangular grooves, finely engraved tangs, signed flat bevelled locks each with stepped tail, figured walnut full stocks (minor bruising), engraved bright iron mounts, tutenag breech-plugs, and horn-tipped ramrods: in a lined and fitted mahogany case (repaired behind the lock) with accessories including brass-mounted leather powder-flask, the lid with flush-fitting carrying handle, London proof marks
15in. (38.1cm.)

Provenance

The Earls of Lonsdale, Lowther Castle, Cumberland, house sale, Maple & Co. and Thomas Wyatt, F.V.A., 16 April 1947, part of lot 700 ('two and a half brace of pistols', £46 to Neal)

Literature

W. Keith Neal and D.H.L. Back, Great British Gunmakers 1740-1790, p. 115, plates 433-4

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

Probably made for Sir James (II) Lowther, Bt. (1736-1802), created 1st Earl of Lonsdale, Baron Lowther, Baron of the Barony of Kendal, Baron of the Barony of Burgh, Viscount of Lonsdale and Viscount of Lowther on 24 May 1784. He served as M.P. for Cumberland, Westmorland and Cockermouth between 1759 and 1784, and as Lord Lieutenant of Westmorland and Cumberland until his death. Known as "Wicked Jimmy", he died unloved, unmourned and without issue, but with, it is said, "£16,000 in guineas tied up in bags" (Complete Peerage)

These pistols employ five-start breech-plugs requiring two complete turns

A very similar pair of pistols was sold in these Rooms, 18 May 1994, lot 239

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