A PAIR OF 16 BORE PERCUSSION BELT PISTOLS SIGNED W. ADAMS, LONDON, BIRMINGHAM PROOF MARKS, CIRCA 1840 with signed octagonal sighted barrels engraved around the muzzles and fitted with stirrup ramrods beneath, scroll-engraved side-hammer actions incorporating the back-sights on the top and with long tangs, blued triggers, finely chequered walnut butts, vacant German silver escutcheons, engraved steel mounts comprising butt-caps with traps decorated with expanded flowerheads, trigger-guards decorated with scrolling foliage and plain belt hooks, 15.4 cm barrels (2)

Composed of several subsidiaries, the Drouot Group is a major player in the art market. Hôtel Drouot, located in the heart of Paris, has been the world's largest public auction center since 1852. 15 salerooms are available to more than 70 auction houses. The emulation generated by an annual offer of 230,000 artworks from 21 major specialities - from Antiquity to street art - attracts some 3,000 visitors every day. The Group's digital platform, Drouot.com, offers digital sales - Live auctions (live broadcasting and participation in auctions), Online-only auctions (dematerialised auctions) and Buy Now sales (sales of lots at fixed prices). Nearly 2 million items are offered annually by 600 auction houses. Auction news is reported every week in La Gazette Drouot, the leading weekly magazine for the art market and culture published by Auctionspress.