PROBABLY EPIRUS, OTTOMAN GREECE, 19TH CENTURY

Details

A SILVER-MOUNTED RIFLE
PROBABLY EPIRUS, OTTOMAN GREECE, 19TH CENTURY
The barrel decorated in repoussé with scrolling arabesques and floral motifs, the stock similarly decorated in repoussé with scrolling arabesques and pairs of birds, some tarnishing, otherwise good condition
49 ½in. (125.8cm.) long

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Conditions of sale

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Louise Broadhurst

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Lot Essay

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the town of Epirus in Greece gained a strong reputation for producing arms. In particular, the town of Ioannina in Epirus played a key role in ornamenting the guns, most commonly in both plain and gilt chased silver (Elgood, 2009, p. 232). For two rifles comparable to the present lot and also attributed to Epirus, see Elgood, 2009, p. 241, nos. 302-3.

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