A VERY FINE 18-BORE SPANISH MADRID-LOCK FOWLING-PIECE

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A VERY FINE 18-BORE SPANISH MADRID-LOCK FOWLING-PIECE

BY FRANCISCO LOPEZ IN MARDID, DATED 1758

With two-stage barrel retaining its original blued finish and with gold spider fore-sight, and chiselled girdle on a gilt ground, retained by two slotted blued gold-inlaid barrel bands each retained by an engraved spring-catch, the octagonal breech finely inlaid with symmetrical designs of strapwork and foliage, three martial trophies, and panels of waved lines, two gold-lined maker's stamps of José Cano of Madrid (Neue Støckel 166, 167), large gold-lined touch-hole, and saddle back-sight chiselled with scrollwork against a gilt fish-roe ground and with acanthus finial fore and aft, bright iron tang chiselled with a martial trophy against a punched and gilt ground, signed and dated flat lock-plate with gold-inlaid bevelled border, finely chiselled with rococo designs in relief against a gilt fish-roe ground and with gold-lined maker's stamp (Neue Støckel 7803), chiselled cock, steel, pan, and screw-heads, all against a gilt fish-roe ground, figured stained fruitwood full stock with fluted Madrid-style butt carved with a shell in relief behind the barrel tang, bright iron trigger-guard and heel-cap each cut with symmetrical overlapping foliate designs against a gilt fish-roe ground, the former with the same maker's stamp as the lock-plate, side-nails each with chiselled and gilt head, and original horn-tipped ramrod
41¼in. barrel

Lot Essay

This is an example of a first quality Madrid gun, of a type now very rarely seen on the open market

Francisco Lopez was one of the most important Madrid royal gunsmiths. Student of Juan Santos, according to Soler (Compendio histórico de los arcabuceros de Madrid) he was admitted as gunsmith to Carlos III in 1761, and was practising in Madrid prior to this date. A gun by him in the Real Armería in Madrid is dated 1756 (K. 158), He retired on 23 October 1773 and seems to have died in about 1800. He taught Francisco Antonio Garcia, Isidro Soler, Francisco Targarona, and Gregorio López

Joseph Cano, student of Juan Fernández, is first recorded as producing a breech-loading gun for Felipe V in 1736. He was appointed honorary royal gunsmith on 16 February 1740, and gunsmith to Ferdinand VI on 1 June 1749. He died on 17 November 1751, having taught one desciple, Diego Alvarez

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