Premier Fine Art & Antiques Auction
August 29, 2023
Below is just a small portion of the massive selection of high quality art & antiques to be featured in our upcoming August 29th 2023 auction! This auction will span multiple genres of collectibles, including Fine Paintings & Art, Jewelry & Silver, Orientalia, Rare Glass & Lamps, Early & Victorian Furniture, Decoys, Carvings, Coin-Op, & MORE!
SUPERB HIGH ORIGINAL CONDITION CASED PAIR OF FLINTLOCK DUELING PISTOLS BY H. W. MORTIMER
01-21238 & 01-21239
Cal. 65
NSN
Harvey Walklate Mortimer opened his famous 89 Fleet St. shop in 1782 & was appointed gunmaker to King George III in 1783. He was among the high rated gunmakers of his time, along with John Twig & Henry Nock. His son was incorporated into the business which lasted at this address until 1816.
This fine pair of pistols have 9 1/4″ slightly swamped octagonal twist steel bbls. engraved “H. W. MORTIMER-LONDON,” “GUN-MAKER to His Majesty” on top flat. Breach irons with integral U-notch rear sights are engraved with nicely cut open scroll. Locks with flat plates, integral pans, bridled roller frizzens, feather springs with rollers & in bulbous finials. Locks also feature French cocks & backsliding safeties. Locks are engraved with feather borders & splashes of armorial type engraving. Plates are engraved “H. W.” “MORTIMER” “83 Fleet. Stt”. Touchholes and pans are un-lined. Triggers are not set. Blued trigger guards extend to form classic pineapple finials & are engraved with shields & arms on bows. Stocks with checkered bag grips are of root walnut & extend to within 1/4″ of muzzles. Bottoms of grips are carved with starbursts. Oval silver crestplates at tops of grips are engraved with large dogs passant. These same elements are visible on the crest depicted on the bookplate. All furniture is of iron & stocks mount to bbls. with 2 captive sidebolts without escutcheons. Rosewood ramrods with horn tips mount through nicely filed single beaded pipe & thimble. One ramrod has worm on tail.
UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: guns are housed in their original mohogany case with dual pivoting hook closure & keyhole with brass surround which is fitted with folding flat D-handle. Interior is lined in green pilled cloth & a paper “H.W. Mortimer” label is in lid. Label is partially overlaid by bookplate of William Herbert Russell with family crest & is marked “No connection with any other house.” at bottom, in use after 1806 & does not have “United State of America” as used by Henry W. Mortimer Junior between 1813-1816. Case contains steel nutcracker type ball mold marked “28” casting a 56 cal. round ball, brass & ebony loading rod with jag on tip, case hardened mainspring vice & a walnut handled combination turnscrew with secondary blade for use on top jaw screw & vent prick. Central compartment holds a copper & bass 3 compartment flask for powder, balls & patches. Two covered compartments with white knobs hold some round balls, flints & leathers & a note from a supplier of case tools.
STATUS: ANTIQUE
