Exceptional Damascus twist steel barrel of tapering form with silver fore-sight, sighting plane and deeply chiseled breech in a vignette depicting Diana the Goddess of the Hunt, scroll engraved breech tang, bushed touchhole, brightly polished unsigned flat lock plate (suggesting a reconversion), varnished walnut full stock, with high relief carved scrolls throughout, gilt brass mounts embellished with scrolls and hunting vignettes and further imagery of Diana, the stock struck twice with marks behind the trigger guard, one is illegible the other appears to be the initials HCS (which Gusler surmises is a stockmaker’s mark), horn fore-end tip, ram-rod. With article by Wallace B. Gusler discussing this gun. Provenance: Theodore Dexter to Henk Visser (1952) to Wallace B. Gusler

Fine, with fine light grey patina to barrel, some newer varnish to stock, lock recently polished, stock cracked on left side from counterplate forward about 8 1/2 inches