A fine and rare 18th century Austrian flint lock rifle, with...

Estimate

£5,000 - £7,000

A fine and rare 18th century Austrian flint lock rifle, with swamped damascus barrel, cylindrical over the forward portion and octagonal over the breech, with silver line inlay and silvered foresight, the breech engraved 'R No. 4', struck with gold-lined barrelsmith's marks, the silvered lock plate with Chinoisserie decoration, with chiselled gilt cartouche with engraved initials 'JR', integrated ram rod with gilt plate and mounts with Chinoisserie decoration, figured walnut half-stock carved in low relief with scrolling foliage over the fore-end, about the tang and over the butt, the latter with carved raised cheek-piece fitted with an additional chiselled gilt plaque, chiselled and gilt strap to the carved trigger guard, fore-end cap and wooden trigger-guard with matching chiselled iron plates, with sling mounts. Barrel 101cm long, 15mm bore, overall length 139cm, trigger to end of stock 33cm.

Provenance: Estate of a London gentleman, a life long gun and weapon collector.
By repute, this gun was part of a larger set of four guns that were due to be presented to Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria before his assassination in 1914. The guns were then exhibited in a museum in Vienna before being separated after WWI.