Beschreibung:

A RARE CASED 140-BORE SILVER-MOUNTED AIR RIFLE By Edward Bate, London, London silver hallmarks for 1777 With swamped two-stage sighted polygroove rifled barrel with chiselled girdle, the octagonal breech section with two gold lines at the rear and signed in gold between gold-inlaid scrollwork and swags, shaped tang finely cut flowers and foliage in low relief, large flat lock finely cut in low relief with flowers, foliage, and rocailles , and signed within a gold oval and with moulded border (cocking lever retaining screw a working replacement, thumbpiece detached), figured walnut half-stock (some bruising) carved in relief with shells at the barrel tang, skeleton butt, chequered grip and fore-end with a dimple in the centre of each diamond, finely engraved silver mounts including cut-out butt-plate, two silver escutcheons, one engraved with owner's initials 'TJ' and the other with owner's crest and coronet (the former a griffin's head), engraved silver barrel-bolt escutcheons, silver ramrod-pipes on a silver rib, and horn ramrod (iron parts with some rust-staining and scattered surface pitting, one barrel-bolt missing): in original fitted case (some losses and damage inside and out) covered with tooled leather and lined with green baize and printed paper, containing iron pump with wooden handles, iron spherical reservoir (the second missing), and brass mould for ten balls, the lid with brass carrying handle of Chippendale form, silversmith's mark of John King 31½in. (80cm.) barrel