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BY GRIFFIN & TOW, LONDON, LONDON SILVER HALLMARKS FOR 1777
Details
A Fine 26-Bore Silver-Mounted Flintlock Sporting Gun
By Griffin & Tow, London, London silver hallmarks for 1777
With fine swamped sighted Indian or Persian barrel from a matchlock decorated with shaped pannels of stylised flowers and foliage in silver and gold, and with two gilt raised mouldings and the inscription 'Gosain Het Ram Gir Mahant Sanah 1183' (= 1769-70 A.D), gold-lined touch-hole, shaped finely engraved grooved tang, signed border engraved lock with roller, engraved cock and stepped tail, figured walnut full stock (some bruising) with take-down fore-end and carved in relief with shells at the barrel tang, finely engraved silver mounts including shaped solid side-plate, trigger-guard with second pattern acorn finial, cast and chased escutcheon with owner's crest and monogram 'RG', four silver ramrod-pipes, and later horn-tipped ramrod, silver maker's mark of John King
53in. (134.6cm.) barrel
By Griffin & Tow, London, London silver hallmarks for 1777
With fine swamped sighted Indian or Persian barrel from a matchlock decorated with shaped pannels of stylised flowers and foliage in silver and gold, and with two gilt raised mouldings and the inscription 'Gosain Het Ram Gir Mahant Sanah 1183' (= 1769-70 A.D), gold-lined touch-hole, shaped finely engraved grooved tang, signed border engraved lock with roller, engraved cock and stepped tail, figured walnut full stock (some bruising) with take-down fore-end and carved in relief with shells at the barrel tang, finely engraved silver mounts including shaped solid side-plate, trigger-guard with second pattern acorn finial, cast and chased escutcheon with owner's crest and monogram 'RG', four silver ramrod-pipes, and later horn-tipped ramrod, silver maker's mark of John King
53in. (134.6cm.) barrel
Provenance
Robert Gregory (1727-1810)
By descent to Major R.G. Gregory, by whom sold at Sotheby & Co., London, 17 June 1980, lot 110 (£3,080 including premium to Neal)
The original owner stowed away as a young boy on a ship to India and rose to be Chairman of the Hon. East India Company. Leaving India in 1768, he became MP for Maidstone, and in 1774 for Rochester until his retirement in 1784
By descent to Major R.G. Gregory, by whom sold at Sotheby & Co., London, 17 June 1980, lot 110 (£3,080 including premium to Neal)
The original owner stowed away as a young boy on a ship to India and rose to be Chairman of the Hon. East India Company. Leaving India in 1768, he became MP for Maidstone, and in 1774 for Rochester until his retirement in 1784
Literature
W. Keith Neal and D.H.L. Back, Messrs Griffin & Tow and W. Bailes, pp. 83-85, plates 29 a-e
Special notice
VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.