A Fine Flintlock Blunderbuss by Andreas Dolep. 28 ½” overall. 13 ¾” heavy belled three staged brass barrel with raised rib to breech, engraved ‘Dolep’, London proof marks, octagonal breech section turning to short round second section with engraved bands, third section tapering to belled muzzle. Banana shaped lock plate engraved ‘Dolep’, swan necked cock and unbridled frizzen. Walnut full stock artificially striped, brass furniture comprising butt plate, trigger guard foliate engraved, escutcheon and single ramrod pipe, possibly original ramrod.
Circa 1700.
In good condition
Andreas Rheinhold Dolep (1648-1713), 'Dutchman', was one of the most important London gunmakers of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1681 he worked for Sir Philip Howard, Commander of the Queen's Troop of Horseguards, and was fined in 1686 for unproved guns but made free of the Gunmakers' Company by redemption in the same year at the request of Lord Dartmouth. He was granted denization in 1691 and married in 1687. He died in 1713. Dolep made fine and ingenious firearms, many of them multi-shot. For a description of further examples of his work see W. Keith Neal and D.H.L. Back, Great British Gunmakers 1540-1740].