HIGHLY DECORATED AND WELL DOCUMENTED PAIR OF EARLY DUTCH FLINTLOCK HOLSTER PISTOLS

HIGHLY DECORATED AND WELL DOCUMENTED PAIR OF EARLY DUTCH FLINTLOCK HOLSTER PISTOLS

01-26121
Cal. 50
S# NSN

This elaborate pair of pistols have been known in collections since 1936 as stated by F. Theodore Dexter in his “THIRTY-FIVE YEARS” “SCRAP BOOK” “OF ANTIQUE ARMS VOLUME 1” published in 1947 where these guns formed part of his collection and were described as #76 and pictured (plate 13). His description reads “Dutch pair of high art, ivory and pearl inlaid horseman’s flintlock pistols. Said to have 2000 inlays in full stocks and handles. Twelve and five-eigths inch octagonal and round barrels. Highest sale value, on strong demand, was $265.00 in 1936. Perhaps the plain Dutch lock-plates, held the demand down in early years, but in 1942, this arms field had learned that the Dutch Master Gunsmiths considered the mechanical parts beautiful when plain. The demand is strong, and sale value would be around $675.00—1947”. His black and white pictures do not show much detail but he is definitely referring to these particular pistols. The blued barrels are indeed 12-5/8″ long. They are octagonal at breech end and transition to sixteen sided, then to round though wedding bands. Gilded areas include muzzles, wedding bands and breech sections, as well as barrel tangs. Locks have plain rounded plates with teats at rear and are fire blued. Gilding remains in pans and at front of lockplates above feather springs. Serpentine cocks have file decoration; are rounded to match lockplates but remain polished bright. Locks also feature inset round pans, unbridled friction frizzens and feather springs with double ball and spear finials. Triggers have a curl at tips. Trigger guards also show traces of gilding and have large foliate finials. Knob grip caps with side spurs are also gilded and have circular bosses at bottom ends. Fruitwood stocks extend to muzzles with bone caps and are pinned to barrels. The very extensive inlay is of bone and pearl and covers nearly entire surfaces of the stocks. Thin tendrils of bone scrolls augmented by bone dots are outlined by 1/16″ wide bands of bone as borders. This intricate work surrounds figures of people and animals with scrimshaw details that match on both pistols as they were built as a true pair. Male figures sit on a jugs at top rear portion of grips. Running foxes are at bottoms of grips. Sideplates depict crouching squirrels and running dogs. Griffins are in front of trigger guards and running rabbits are on each side of barrel channels. These scenes are interspersed with dots, ovals and chevrons of scrimmed mother of pearl. Mahogany ramrods with bone tips mount through gilded bronze beaded pipes and bone thimbles that are carved and scrimmed.

UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: original numbered and signed copy # 1465 of “Scrap Book of Antique Arms Volume 1” signed by author.

STATUS: ANTIQUE