The Finest Known Set of English Revolvers, owned by William III, King of the Netherlands
An Exceptional Cased Set of 38 Bore, 54 Bore & 120 Bore Adams Patent 1851 Model Self-Cocking Five Shot Revolvers of Exhibition Quality by Deane Adams & Deane, Makers to H.R.H Prince Albert.
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London Proof Marks, NOS.12812R, 11789R, AND 11758R, Each with blued barrel signed ‘Deane, Adams & Deane, Maker's to H.R.H Prince Albert, No. 30 King William Street, London Bridge’ within a scrollwork frame over its length and the top strap, engraved with a band around the muzzle, fitted with blued fore sight and back sight, engraved blued frame signed and numbered on a scroll on the right and decorated with a dense pattern of fine scrollwork, scroll engraved numbered case hardened cylinder, blued safety catch, blued arbour and blued arbour spring latch. Finely chequered butt, scroll engraved steel mounts comprising blued trigger guard, trigger plate and tang, gold shield shaped escutcheon engraved with the crowned Royal initial ‘W, the larger revolvers with hesitating actions and case hardened butt caps with traps and the smaller with engraved silver butt cap.
In their original two tier brass bound mahogany case, the lid exterior with brass flush fitting carrying handle and rondel engraved with the crowned Royal initial 'W', fitted with a brass lock by Bramah, London, the interior lined in tooled leather including the crowned Royal arms, the mace, sword, and cap of the Common Cryer and Serjeant at Arms of the City of London all on a ground of neo rocaille scrolls and foliage, complete with additional scroll engraved case hardened cylinder numbered en suite with the respective revolvers, and accessories comprising: nickel cap dispensers with blued steel springs by Dixon & Sons, patent gilt brass powder flasks with graduated nozzle and spring cut off by James Dixon & Sons, Sheffield, turned ivory box with spare nipples, ebony ramrod with brass cleaning jag, brass bullet moulds with conical and spherical cavities and blued steel sprue cutters, nipple wrench, turnscrew, cylinder cleaning jag, wad cutters and two spare mainsprings.
Barrel lengths: 7 1/2", 6 1/2" and 4 1/4".
In mint, unfired condition
Circa 1854
Provenance. Exhibited at Paris Exposition Universelle of 1855. Presented as the Royal prize by William III, King of the Netherlands (1817-1899) to Mr Van Hoytema, winner of the student shooting match held in Utrecht, 13th November 1868.
Henk Visser (1923-2006), inv. no. 1296 Thence by descent Literature G. de Vries and B. J. Martens, Arms of the Netherlands in the Collection of H. L. Visser, volume I, part 4, Arnhem, 2007, pp. 510-511, cat. no. 905. B. J. Martens, Een koninklije prijs, in, SAM Wapenmagazine 109, 2001, pp. 34-36
John Deane, Robert Adams and John Deane, are recorded at 30 King William Street 1851-6 with their factory at 1 Maze, Tooley Street 1852-3 and Weston Street 1853-6.
They exhibited, and were awarded a medal at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, a bronze medal at the New York Exhibition of 1853 and a further medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1855.
A similar set of revolvers, described as 'unique' and less elaborately decorated and presented, were offered for sale, Bonhams, Knightsbridge 2nd July 1997.
This item is registered (ref P6TCWZ84) for the ‘less than 10% by volume’ exemption to the Ivory Act 2018.