This pair of 18th century sporting guns features blued, smoothbore barrels with dovetailed blade front sights, three sets of decorative bands, and gold lined markings at the breech including a cross and "crown/DI. ES/QVI/BEL" imitation maker's mark for Diego Esquibel of Madrid. The two guns are nearly identical aside from the "1" and "2" among the designs on their barrel tangs. The locks feature relief engraved/chiseled scenes showing a mounted hunter blowing a horn, seated female figure (Diana), and a stag. The side plates depict a merman with a trident battling a sea monster. The wrist escutcheons are engraved with a coat of arms with Golden Fleece. The stocks have light horn forend caps, molding, incised and relief carving, carved wood trigger guards, and Madrid style butts with fluting and raised relief scroll carving along with false "screw-head" designs. one gun with lead collection tag apparently for the Applied Arts School funded by the Grand Dukes of Saxe-Weimar.

Good as restored throughout and reconverted from percussion with 60% blue finish, most of the gold in the markings, silver-gray patina on the tang and lock, aged patina on the mounts, and general mild overall wear. The stock has crisp carving, some attractive figure, and mild scratches and dings. Mechanically fine.

Provenance: The Collection of the Dukes of Saxe-Weimar at Schloss Ettersburg; The Norman R. Blank Collection

Good as restored and reconverted from percussion with 30% blue finish on the barrel, considerable gold remaining in the markings, mostly silver-gray patina on the tang and lock, repaired neck on the cock, aged patina on the mounts, and mild wear. The stock has crisp carving, some stabilized cracks in the butt, a thin crack on the left flat, and mild scratches and dings. Mechanically fine.