with octagonal swamped sighted barrel rifled with seven grooves, engraved with scrolls at the muzzle and a panel of beadwork at the breech, gilt-brass folding leaf back-sight, associated flat lock engraved with scrolls (the engraving worn, iron parts with light surface rust), fitted with internal wheel, dog and pan with flash-guard, the latter with sliding cover, double set trigger, full stock carved with foliage and scrolls about the rear ramrod-pipe, tang, lock and mounts (small chips), butt inlaid on the left with engraved staghorn lines with leafy tendrils enclosing a large inset gilt-brass oval plaque finely cast and chased with a woodland scene involving Endymion sleeping watched over by his hound and, in the heavens, the goddess Diana, the bottom of the cheek-piece with a small rectangular brass plaque decorated with a hound in pursuit of a hare, the spine of the butt inlaid with further engraved staghorn and gilt-brass plaques including Diana the huntress and a hound, the right of the butt with patch box with sliding cover decorated at each end with gilt-brass plaques decorated with a woodland stag hunt with hunters in contemporary dress and an engraved staghorn plaque with a hare in the centre, gilt-brass mounts finely cast and chased in low relief, comprising openwork side-plate involving scrolling foliage with a central green man mask and monsterhead terminals, butt-plate engraved with the bust of a noble woman, trigger-guard shaped for the fingers and with forward terminal decorated with a greenman mask enclosed by scrolling foliage, gilt-brass trigger-plate, three faceted ramrod-pipes, fore-end cap decorated with scrolls and foliage (associated iron-tipped ramrod), 77.3 cm barrel

Provenance

Joe Kindig Jr. (1898-1971), thence by descent

The inlay and brass mounts are of notable quality.

Part proceeds to benefit the Acquisition Fund of the Arms and Armor department, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.