August 11, 12, & 13, 2020 Field & Range Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/11/2020
35 - 3/4" side by side barrels with blade front sight and scalloped out rear sight with concave game rib. Dual percussion locks signed on left lock "Versailles" and right lock "Boutet", both decorated at rear with engraving of a flower. Retains the original flintlock fences when conversion to percussion was performed. Tang decorated with line engraving and floral at tang finial, and roped border near breech. Relief carved around the tang with florals, surrounding a silver thumb piece. Ramrod, likely a replacement, retained by three ferrules decorated with beadwork. Forearm finial with florals. Underside of uncheckered forearm with a carved rendition of the French Imperial eagle. Trigger guard decorated with a floral, urn finial depicting a vignette of a swan. Checkered wrist flows into a carved sheep's head. Cheekpiece inlaid and nailed with velvet. Engraved buttplate depicting a hare and border engraving. CONDITION: Good as extensively cleaned and preserved. All metal essentially a gunmetal grey with some spotted old inactive oxidation scattered about along some other minor marks. Wood has an extra layer of varnish applied resulting in some softening to some of the carving, alongside some handling marks. Two splinters missing, one symmetrical one on both sides of forearm, second at right lock. One split at tang, that appears stable. Action works appropriately when cycled by hand, bores are dark. Boutet's are always desirable, and the addition of a French Eagle makes this shotgun very attractive for the French collector. EW