xxSOLDxx F & I War Queen Anne "Turn-off" Pistol

Signed "I.Smith" Silver Mounted Dated 1732

This pistol, measuring 6 3/4" overall, is the type carried by mounted British officers during the colonial period in America.  This pistol exhibits the extraordinarily beautiful Queen Anne design, showing heavy Huguenot influence.  It's stock, made of burl walnut has a slender wrist and bulbous butt which is capped with a cast silver grotesque mask typical of the Baroque period (ca. 1715).  The cast silver sideplate exhibits the beautiful Baroque design as well.  The burl stock is embellished with well designed bell flower carving behind the barrel tang as well as raised carving around the tang, side plate and lock.  There is also a cast silver escutcheon inlayed behind the tang carving.  The 6 3/4" barrel is octagon at the breech (engraved "LONDON" on the top facet) for the first inch then transitions to 16 facets for the next 5/8" and then transitions to a round "canon" style barrel, complete with a triple wedding band filing about 1 1/4" from the facets, then round to the banded muzzle.  Each of the octagon facets is engraved with acanthus leafs.  The flinlock is signed "I. SMITH" in engraved block letters which we believe was Isaac Smith who worked in London from 1727 to 1756.  Under the trigger guard finial is the proof marks of Henry Delaney who was a French immigrant and was admitted to the "Gunmaker Company" guild in 1715.  Delaney died in 1746.  Quoted in the reference book: "Queen Anne Pistols 1660-1780" by John Burgoyne  "a fine was levied (on Delaney) in 1732 when his servant 'struck his Masters Mark on four gun barrels whereby Isaac Smith a Forreigner (i.e. non-guild member) obteyned the free Proofe."  This pistol is undoubtedly one of those four pistols.  **SOLD**

 Condition:  Excellent unrestored condition.  The only flaw observed is about a 1" stable check in the obverse bulbous part of the butt (shown in last photo). 

$0.00
I-VA-PI-0026
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