Anton Vinzent Lebeda of Praque (1797-1857) completed his training in 1813 and worked in Germany for a period as well as Vienna. He was the gunmaker of Kaiser Franz Josef I. Much of his work is incredibly ornate and recognized for its intricate engraving, beautiful inlays, and expert stock carving. The pistols have Damascus barrels with dovetailed blade front sights and fixed notch rear sights along with the following in gold inlay: "A. V. Lebeda a Prague" on top accented by floral scrollwork, "Damas" on the upper left flats, "Turc" on the upper right flats, and Greek key designs at the breech. They have "1" and "2" respectively at the breech in gold inlay accented by platinum borders and engraving. The locks are engraved with floral designs which are highlighted in gold, "1" and "2" at the their tails, different gold horsemen scenes at center (one has a second engraved horseman in the background), and with "LEBEDA A PRAGUE" gold inlaid in a banner towards the front. Complimenting golden horsemen are also on the butt caps and gold horses are part of the engraving on the spurred trigger guards. One appears to be an Austrian officer with horses in the background and the other an Ottoman officer with a mosque in the background. The Hapsburgs (later Austria and Austria-Hungary) and Ottomans battled one another for much of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. The nicely figured varnished walnut stocks have checkered grips, scroll carving, and initial plates with a count's nine pointed crown over an "S". They have double set triggers and platinum lined bolsters. The pair are contained in a French fitted mahogany case with purple felt lined interior, a heavy brass cleaning rod with German silver handle, wooden rod with horn handle and tip, German silver powder measure, walnut handled nipple wrench, German silver plunger-charger powder flask with two panels of mother of pearl that are inscribed along the outer edge with "A V Lebeda a Prague", a German silver cap box with scroll engraved lid, two walnut handled screwdrivers, and a steel bullet mold with sprue cutter. There is a spot for a second cap box.
Fine. Nearly all of the gold inlays remain with only slight flakes. The barrels have a dark aged brown patina overall and some additional dark staining. The locks have gray patina. The trigger guards retain a mix of significant original blue finish and brown patina. The engraving and markings are crisp throughout. Mechanically excellent. The stocks have the expected marks and points of wear. The case is fair with a slightly warped lid, lid escutcheon plate and two corner reinforcements absent, general exterior storage type wear, and fading and minor staining on the purple interior lining which has some wear and damage along the compartment edges. The accessories are fine overall.
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