159 - A pair of silver-mounted flintlock pistols, probably for the oriental market

A pair of silver-mounted flintlock pistols, probably for the oriental market dating: Second half of the 18th Century provenance: France, Smoothbore, two-stage, octagonal and round barrels, fitted with front sights, the first sections engraved with floral motifs and with traces of gilding. 15 mm cal at the nozzle. Tangs with engraved outlines and decorations. Flintlocks with slightly rounded lock plates (one with working mechanism, the other needs revision). The lock plates engraved with bows and quivers at the tails, together with floral and rocaille motifs. Full wooden stocks showing some signs of use and age. Fine, marked silver mounts decorated in relief. The pommel caps featuring trophies of arms, helmets and armour (one with a missing element); clearly visible marks. Trigger guards decorated in relief with floral and rocaille motifs, surmounted by turbans adorned with crescents, together with bows and arrows. Rocaille-shaped escutcheons on the backs of the grips. Smooth wooden ramrods. Side plates decorated in relief with drums and rocaille motifs. A pair of quality pistols showing some signs of use and age, as well as a few defects deserving appropriate restoration. The silver mounts bear various hallmarks repeated on several elements (an elaborate monogram, a boar’s or dog’s head, and other smaller marks). The hallmarks are probably French silver marks (assay and maker’s marks) of the type introduced in 1775. The style of workmanship and, in particular, the turban motif with a crescent on the trigger guards suggest that the pistols were commissioned by a prominent Ottoman patron.