GOOD PAIR OF DUTCH FLINTLOCK PISTOLS BY DELINCEE OF AMSTERDAM WITH LATER INTERCHANGABLE PERCUSSION LOCKS BY RIVIERE OF LONDON IN RIVIERE CASE.

GOOD PAIR OF DUTCH FLINTLOCK PISTOLS BY DELINCEE OF AMSTERDAM WITH LATER INTERCHANGABLE PERCUSSION LOCKS BY RIVIERE OF LONDON IN RIVIERE CASE.

01-27449

 Cal. 50 smooth bore

S# NSN. These interesting pistols have quite a story. They were made around 1815 by Jean Toussiant Delincee of Amsterdam using an older set of barrels by Johann Jacob Kuchenreuter who worked between 1709-1789. The swamped round barrels with parallel sides at rear and filed in ribs toward muzzles silver inlaid with barrel maker’s names. Silver poincon of horse and rider are on rear raised nock forms flanked by two smaller poincon. There is scroll engraving with silver infill between front and rear portions of ribs. Tops of breech plug tangs are fitted with three nesting leaf sights. Flint locks with chamfered plates feature French cocks, deeply cut waterproof pans, roller bridled frizzens and feather springs with flattened ball finials with teats. Locks show some scroll engraving with spider webs at rears and maker’s name and address under pans. Triggers are set. European walnut stocks have checkered flared grips with steel caps. Other furniture is also of blued steel. Trigger plates have vase shaped finials and trigger guards have finger spurs. Engraving is very well done and depicts seated foxes on grip caps and standing wolves on trigger guard bows. Nicely shaped sideplates are decorated with cobwebs. There are engraved silver shields at tops of grips without initials. Stocks extend to muzzles and are pinned to barrels. Ebony ramrods with horn tips and steel tails (worms under caps) mount through single beaded pipes and matching thimbles with finials matching trigger plates.

Sometime after these pistols were completed they were fitted with a set of new locks by Isaac Riviere of London (working between 1805-51) to make these pistols suitable for use with percussion ignition while retaining use of original flint locks. New lockplates were carefully fitted to existing lock mortices and have integral drum type percussion bolsters with platinum blowouts that directly engage original touch holes. These locks are fitted with bold swept flat face percussion hammers in a style known to be used by Riviere. Engraving consists of line borders surrounded by sprays of scroll; each plate is engraved “Riviere London” and heads of hammers are engraved “Patent”. At this time Riviere also supplied a mahogany case.

UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: guns are housed in a mahogany case with folding “D” ring brass handle on top. Case is lined in blue velvet and has large Riviere label in lid. Case contains walnut combination loading/cleaning rod with jag. Small brass powder flask, rosewood handled nipple wrench with pricker, some greased wads and flints. Provision is made in the case for the spare locks; either flint or percussion. Also new lock screws were made for the percussion locks and are included. 

PROVENANCE: Estate Collection of Nicholas Apergis

STATUS: ANTIQUE