‡ A RARE PAIR OF 54-BORE GERMAN WHEEL-LOCK BELT... Lot n° 402

‡ A RARE PAIR OF 54-BORE GERMAN WHEEL-LOCK BELT PISTOLS OF EXCEPTIONAL LENGTH FORMED ENTIRELY OF STEEL^ NUREMBURG^ CIRCA 1570-80¦with swamped barrels formed in three stages^ engraved with a band around the muzzles and struck with the barrelsmith~s mark ~PB~ (Neue Støckel 4228) divided by the Nuremburg town mark at the breeches^ flat locks struck with maker~s mark^ a spur (perhaps Neue Støckel 1057)^ fitted with external wheel retained by a pierced and engraved bracket^ engraved dog^ moulded safety-catch and pan-cover with button-release (minor expert restorations)^ hollow full stocks (one with small dents and a copper brazed repair)^ the butts bound with fabric (probably added in their working life)^ spherical pommels formed in two hinged pieces^ the covers released by pressing a sprung stud on the top^ moulded iron trigger-guards and belt hooks^ and later iron-tipped ramrods (one seized^ the iron parts with small areas of light pitting)¦56.0 cm; 22 in ¦(2)¦¦Provenance¦Christie~s^ 19th July^ 2001^ lot 153 ¦¦Literature¦Theodore Dexter 1960^ Half Century Scrapbook of Vari-type Firearms^ pp. 34^ no. 413^ plate 12 (one of the pair). ¦¦A very similar Nuremburg marked belt pistol is preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. M.631-1927); a single long over-and-under wheel-lock pistol of similar design^ struck with the same mark on the lock^ is in the armoury of the Doge~s Palace^ Venice (inv. no. B84); and a further pair^ with fishtail pommels^ are in the Tøjhusmuseet^ Copenhagen (inv. no. B 286-287. See Hayward 1955^ p. 33^ no. 3^ Franzoi 1990^ p. 128^ no. 415 and Askgaard^ p. 134^ no. 196. ¦¦The locksmith~s mark is probably for a member of the Stopler family recorded in Nuremburg circa 1547-92. The barrelsmith~s mark is perhaps Paul Buchner^ recorded in Nuremburg and Dresden working for the Elector of Saxony circa 1559-95. A profusely decorated pistol of similar form to the present pair and attributed to this maker is preserved in the Wallace Collection (A1167).