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248 detail
248 A VERY RARE PAIR OF DUTCH FLINTLOCK RIFLED TURN-OFF HOLSTER PISTOLS BY JAN KNOOP, UTRECHT, CIRCA 1660-70 with turn-off barrels rifled with eight grooves, each formed in three stages with turned girdles and widening at the base over its threaded joint with the breech, octagonal breeches faceted at their front and each struck with Utrecht mark(Neue Støckel 1743), finely engraved rounded locks each decorated with the figures of Venus and Cupid beneath the pan, with an exotic bird together with its dragonfly prey within a scrollwork flourish over the tail, and minutely engraved with the maker’s mark, a running stag, together with the maker’s signature in small capitals, with figured curly walnut butts carved with raised mouldings, matching takedown fore-ends retained by spring-catches fitted to the trigger-guard finials (one catch broken), full iron mounts comprising domed oval pommels finely engraved with scrollwork patterns inhabited by insects, small animals and exotic birds and fitted with giltbrass demon mask caps cast in relief, scroll-shaped side-plates each cut with a raised medial ridge, trigger-guards with moulded edges, and pairs of moulded baluster-shaped ramrod-pipes (one ramrod replaced) 50.8 cm; 20 in (2) These pistols compare with English rifled turn-off pistols of the period, most of which show a pronounced Dutch influence. Graeme Rimer explores this influence in his detailed account of the English pistols of this type, see Rimer 2014, pp.45-75 £10000-15000 128