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A North Indian 25-Bore Flintlock Silver-Mounted Rifle With Elaborately Twist Barrel image 1
A North Indian 25-Bore Flintlock Silver-Mounted Rifle With Elaborately Twist Barrel image 2
A North Indian 25-Bore Flintlock Silver-Mounted Rifle With Elaborately Twist Barrel image 3
A North Indian 25-Bore Flintlock Silver-Mounted Rifle With Elaborately Twist Barrel image 4
Lot 82

A North Indian 25-Bore Flintlock Silver-Mounted Rifle With Elaborately Twist Barrel
Early 19th Century, Almost Certainly Sind

23 May 2018, 10:30 BST
London, Knightsbridge

£5,000 - £6,500

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A North Indian 25-Bore Flintlock Silver-Mounted Rifle With Elaborately Twist Barrel
Early 19th Century, Almost Certainly Sind

With three-stage etched barrel of hog's back form elaborately twist with an etched damascus pattern over its entire length to the muzzle, rifled with eight grooves, and retained by four pierced silver barrel bands, the muzzle formed in the round as a monster-head damascened with gold foliage against a gold ground, carrying the fore-sight between replacement ruby eyes, and set with two cabochon turquoises behind, and with gold-encrusted bands and cartouches at the breech and towards the muzzle, the latter with traces of a gold inscription in thuluth on one side, raised gold-inlaid back-sight and tang en suite with the muzzle, russet East India Company lock stamped with a crowned '2' beneath the pan, figured hardwood full stock with characteristic fish-tail butt inlaid with a silver star on each side, mounts comprising toe and heel terminals of shaped outline, trigger-guard with scrolled tang, domed silver mount at the barrel tang chased with designs of foliage against black enamel grounds, silver sling loop and fore-end cap, and iron ramrod, probably original
104 cm. barrel

Footnotes

The high quality of the workmanship employed in the manufacture of the barrel suggests that it was probably made for the Talpur family who ruled in Khaipur, Upper Sind, from 1782 until annexation by the British in 1843

For other examples see David Alexander, The Art Of War, Arms and Armour of the 7th to 19th Centuries, vol. XXI, 1992, pp. 202-205, figs. 136-138

Cf. a very similar example sold in these Rooms, Eastern Arms & Armour from the Richard R. Wagner Jr. Collection, 29 April 2015, lot 211 (£7,500 including premium)

Additional information

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