April 11-13, 2023 Firearms and Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/12/2023
This exemplary fowler was sold as part of the W. Keith Neal sale at Christie's in 2000 as Lot 43, where it was provenanced to the Dukes of Bedford, Woburn Abbey, and Clay P. Bedford. Literature includes "The Mantons: 1782-1878" by Back, pg. 30, and "The Manton Supplement" by Neal and Back, pg. 47. 34" octagonal-to-hexadecagonal-to-smooth barrel with pair of wedding rings at girdle. Diminutive gold front sight, top rib of octagonal section over breech inlaid "--- MANTON · LONDON ---". Barrel is retained by 2 keys through gold escutcheons. Patent breech with gold bushed with gold, and decorated with 2 gold lines. Brass tipped ramrod, probably the original, feeds through 2 ferrules on a rib under the barrel before feeding into a reinforced mouth. Horn forearm cap. Flat lock with French cock, fenced pan, bridled pan cover, roller bearing frizzen, engraved "MANTON" under the pan and with a small bird and floral at rear. Border of lock and cock with stiff leaf engraving. Single lock bolt with escutcheon. Gold thumbpiece with initials "WR". Trigger guard with engraving of a dog pointing a bird in a floral scene, pineapple finial, and "3771" at rear of an almost jaeger-ian swooping guard. Checkered wrist, shadowline cheekpiece. Buttplate with a long heel engraved with a floral scene en suite with trigger guard and lock. CONDITION: Very good, with browning brought back up, softening the engraving on buttplate and trigger guard somewhat. Gold inlay on barrel with some minor losses to lettering. Lock is very good with crisp engraving and some flashes of deeper colored grey. Stock is very good, with one extremely well repaired, nearly invisible, crack on left side of trigger guad. Some normal marks and pressure indentations from handling and storage throughout, mostly around lock bolt escutcheon and butt of stock. Mechanically fine, bore is very good with minimal oxidation. A really lovely fowler from two of the finest collections of European arms.