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Quite Seldom Can a Pistol Nearly 300 Years Old be Called Mint. This Exquisite Pair is in Fact, Mint.
LOT 1323
Exceptional Pair of Engraved, Raised Relief Carved Wood and Gilt finished Claude Niquet Flintlock Pistols -A) C. Niquet Flintlock Pistol - NSN, 63 cal., 10 1/4 inch part octagon bbl., bright/gold finish, walnut stock. Claude Niquet of Liege, Belgium, was active c. 1730-1740. The same pommel design can be seen on another pistol by him in the National
Trust Collection at the Gunby Hall Estate, but this pair has been preserved nearly as they left the Niquet’s workshop nearly 300 years ago which truly sets them apart from the vast majority of European flintlock pistols extant today, especially considering the pair remains together. In fact, if you
peer down the barrel, the bores are still bright and you can actually read
“C. NIQUET” marked on the face of the breech plugs! We’ve never seen anything like that on a flintlock before. It definitely adds to the interest of this already incredible pair. In the included copy of the relevant page of the rough draft of Tom Lewis’ book, he notes that this pair was “very likely from the armoury of the Grand Dukes of Saxe-Weimar, Schloss Ettersburg...” The two-stage, smoothbore barrels have gilt blade front sights with flush inlaid “spider” bases, girdles at the transition points, scroll and border engraving at the breech, and additional floral engraving on the tangs. The convex, lightly curved lock plates are signed “CLAUDE NIQUET/A LIEGE” below the bridled flashpans and have raised designs on the frizzens. The pans also have drain slots at the rear. This clever element allows water hitting the
frizzen to drain down and away from the priming charge. The furniture is all gilt brass decorated with masks, floral designs, Greco-Roman figures, a coronet on the top of the wrist escutcheons, scrolls, and spectacular lion mask on the pommel caps. The stocks have raised relief carved molding, scroll designs, and tear drop flats.
CONDITION: Extremely fine overall. The lock and barrel remain bright in the European tradition with only faint signs of spotting and light patination. Most of the original vibrant fire blue finish remains on the barrel tang screw, trigger, and trigger plate. The gilt brass furniture remains bright
and has exceptionally crisp details. The metal throughout shows only the slightest light age and handling related wear.
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