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A Cased Pair Of Scottish 50-Bore Percussion Duelling Or Target Pistols By Alex.r Martin, Glasgow, Mid-19th Century
The medals and associate ephemera and uniforms of Arthur Watts, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons
A Pair Of Highland All-Metal Percussion Belt Pistols Signed Paton & Walsh Perth, Mid 19th century
A Silver-Mounted Left-Hand Dagger, probably German, Italian or English Late 16th Century Or Later
FOUR REPRODUCTION CARVED POWDER HORNS/FLASKS.late 20th century.
THREE CARVED COCONUT ITEMS.18th/19th century.
A COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE AND REPRODUCTION POWDER FLASKS AND RELATED SPORTING ITEMS.
THREE VICTORIAN ARMS AND ARMOUR DECORATIVE ITEMS.
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A Fine French Model Field Gun image 1
A Fine French Model Field Gun image 2
Lot 164

A Fine French Model Field Gun
Dated 171(?)7

Antique Arms and Armour
25 July 2012, 10:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £8,750 inc. premium

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A Fine French Model Field Gun
Dated 171(?)7

Of tapering multi-stage form cast in relief with raised mouldings involving a band of acanthus behind the turned and flared muzzle and symmetrical foliage in front of the naturalistic dolphin lifting handles, the muzzle with prominent foliate fore-sight, the front section with the figure of Victory in classical armour seated on a field gun and holding a flaming grenade, two scrolls above inscribed respectively 'Le Conquerant' and 'Ultima Ratio Regum' the first reinforce with a coat-of-arms between lion supporters, a count's coronet above, touch-hole centred on a scallop shell within foliate scrolls, base-ring (minor damage) over an iron core and inscribed 'Factum Duaci 171(?)7, cascabel formed as the club of Hercules issueing from the mouth of the Nemean lion, and plain trunnions (minor wear and bruising): on well-made iron-mounted wooden field carriage painted black overall and with spoked wheels and open trail
57 cm. barrel, 2.2 cm. bore

Footnotes

Duaci is the Latin spelling of Douai, a town in Flanders, now Northern France. It is probable that the gun was made by one of the Bérenger family of gunfounders working at the foundry at Douai where several held the office of Commissaire des Fontes. The most likely candidate seems to be Claude Bérenger (1664-1723) known as Beranger de Falize or de la Falise, who was appointed Commissaire des Fontes de France in 1696 in succession to Balthasar Keller. For more information see A.N. Kennard, Gunfounding & Gunfounders..., 1986, pp. 41-42

The coat-of-arms are those of one of the following families: Baudouin, Coste, Chesnard, Gondalliea or de Querville

The collection of artillery models displayed in the Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides, Paris, includes seventeen pieces cast in the Douai foundry, and describes six unsigned late-17th century cannon barrels as "du type Douai". See Petits modèles d'artillerie, Musée de l'Armée, Hôtel national des Invalides, Paris, 1994, pp. 42, 45-47, 55, and 222

Examples of full-size Douai cannons and mortars are to be found in numerous public collections on both sides of the Atlantic, including those of the Royal Armouries and the Rotunda, Woolwich

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A Cased Pair Of Scottish 50-Bore Percussion Duelling Or Target Pistols By Alex.r Martin, Glasgow, Mid-19th Century
The medals and associate ephemera and uniforms of Arthur Watts, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons
A Pair Of Highland All-Metal Percussion Belt Pistols Signed Paton & Walsh Perth, Mid 19th century
A Silver-Mounted Left-Hand Dagger, probably German, Italian or English Late 16th Century Or Later
FOUR REPRODUCTION CARVED POWDER HORNS/FLASKS.late 20th century.
THREE CARVED COCONUT ITEMS.18th/19th century.
A COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE AND REPRODUCTION POWDER FLASKS AND RELATED SPORTING ITEMS.
THREE VICTORIAN ARMS AND ARMOUR DECORATIVE ITEMS.