Lot #1271
Lot #1273

Lot 1272: Unknown Wheel Lock Carbine 36

An Extremely Rare and Magnificent Wheellock Holster Pistol with Superbly Chiseled and Gilt Steel Mounts by Emanuel and/or Daniel Sadeler Royal Gunmakers to HRH Duke William of Bavaria Circa 1605

Auction Location: Rock Island, IL

Auction Date: December 5, 2015

Lot 1272: Unknown Wheel Lock Carbine 36

An Extremely Rare and Magnificent Wheellock Holster Pistol with Superbly Chiseled and Gilt Steel Mounts by Emanuel and/or Daniel Sadeler Royal Gunmakers to HRH Duke William of Bavaria Circa 1605

Auction Location: Rock Island, IL

Auction Date: December 5, 2015

Estimated Price: $100,000 - $150,000

An Extremely Rare and Magnificent Wheellock Holster Pistol with Superbly Chiseled and Gilt Steel Mounts by Emanuel and/or Daniel Sadeler Royal Gunmakers to HRH Duke William of Bavaria Circa 1605

Manufacturer: Unknown
Model: Wheel Lock
Type: Carbine
Gauge: 36
Barrel: 20 1/4 inch round
Finish: bright
Grip:
Stock: walnut
Item Views: 5995
Serial Number:
Catalog Page: 124
Class: Antique
Description:

This superb pistol offered here for the first time in more than a generation was once the prized possession of the 9th duc de Luynes, Honore d'Albert. The two stage barrel is richly chiseled and gilded in the characteristic manner of the Munich School, Sadeler Workshop. The decoration features mythological figures in raised relief chiseled iron of the very finest quality and minutest detail including Minerva with shield and lance, Perseus with sword and the head of Medusa under a canopy, Abundance with upturned cornucopia, and Apollo, all interspersed with hounds, trophies, fruit, birds, and scrollwork. The flat lock plate is superbly chiseled with the god Mars in his chariot surrounded by warriors in combat and further embellished with fruit, flower heads, and trophies. The wheel cover itself is chiseled in relief with two phoenixes and the characteristic Sadeler grotesque mask. The dog or cock is chiseled in the round as a sea monster which is the signature of Emanuel and Daniel Sadeler and is a feature of all Sadeler pistols and long guns. The mounts are chiseled and gilt en suite, the trigger guard chiseled with acanthus. The remarkable iron pommel is cast and chiseled in high relief with winged and tailed figures, a snail, grasshopper, bird, and grotesque masks. The fruitwood full stock is elaborately inlaid with panels of engraved horn and scrolls and the cipher HD and crescent moons.This is only the second Sadeler wheel lock pistol to appear on the market in the past 50 years, the other, a magnificent pistol with stock work by Adam Vischer was sold by Christie's London for more than 250,000 dollars to Frank E. Bivens Jr. and is now in the collection of cosmetics king, Ronald Lauder of New York. The Munich Court Workshop under the management of Emanuel and Daniel Sadeler are responsible for the most magnificent wheel lock firearms ever created which are exhibited in the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna, the Hermitage, the Wallace Collection and the Metropolitan Museum. The Sadeler's were so famous in their lifetimes that Emanuel was knighted by Emperor Maximilian I. Daniel actually left an appointment from Emperor Rudolph II of Prague to join his brother.Further note: Though cataloged in 1987 as part of the Charles Draeger Collection as having an associated pommel, the fact that the pistol was in the collection of the duc de Luynes since the 17th century raises the possibility that the pommel is in fact original. The Sadelers often fabricated pistols in novel styles according to the whims of their royal and nobel clients. The style and form of the pistol, especially the the form of the pommel and butt are closely related to designs of Stradanus and Delaune in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Despite its few imperfections this is artistically the most important 17th century pistol ever offered for public sale in America, and Rock Island Auction is proud to offer it as such. Provenance: The duc de Luynes, Chateau de Dampierre Sold to M. Paul Corbin, Paris, 1917 Charles Draeger

Rating Definition:

Condition: Barrel, lock, and mounts retain nearly all of the bright original gilding. Detail on the high relief chiseled iron is excellent after four centuries, bright and crisp. The stock, possibly refurbished, has several replaced inlays and minor imperfections throughout but remains good overall.



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