with swamped barrel formed in two stages, engraved with a band around the muzzle, pellets at the median and octagonal over the breech, the latter struck three times with a mark, beneath a dagger the letters ‘HH’ or ‘HI’, flat lock struck with a mark en suite, retained by a side nail acting on the belt hook bracket and three further side nails opposite, fitted with external wheel beneath a domed cover, safety-catch, sliding pan-cover with button release, and dog with filed spring, blackened full stock, carved with slender panels of foliage around the borders, about the tang and beneath the fore-end near spherical pommel carved with a warrior mask rondel on the base, iron trigger-guard, belt-hook and ramrod stirrup (very light worm damage, the fore-end with one small internal repair on the left at the breech, ramrod missing), 58.8 cm overall

Provenance

Robert Brooker Collection inv.no. 2089

The mark appears to be unrecorded but is similar to that of Lorenz Herl, recorded as a barrelsmith and dealer in Nuremburg circa 1572-1622. His father Hans, also a gunmaker, was active in the same town circa 1566-1608.