A Very Fine Flintlock Carriage Pistol by Durs Egg.
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15” overall, 9 ¼” 32 bore barrels signed in gold ‘D Egg London’, with two gold lines at the breech. Finely engraved tangs, London proofs below & gold lined touch hole, border engraved tang decorated with foliage. Border engraved flat lock signed ‘D. Egg’ decorated with foliage, safety catch also locking the steels, foliate engraved cock, gold lined pans, roller bearing on a ramp on the blued steel springs. Figured half stock with rounded butt cut with characteristic chequering, border engraved steel mounts, comprising butt cap decorated with foliage & starburst centred on the retaining screw, trigger guard in the French fashion with foliate finial & decorated with a martial trophy & foliage on the D-shaped bow, turned ramrod pipe, gold oval escutcheon, original horn tipped ramrod.
Circa 1780
A very fine example of Durs Egg’s earlier style pistol with some original finish, the internal parts retaining much of their blued and burnished finish, barrel very well rebrowned.
Durs Egg, son of Leonz Egg of Oberbuchsiten, Switzerland, was born in 1748 (d. 1831) and following a short stay in Paris, came to London and worked for John Twigg in 1772. He was granted denization in 1791 and is recognised as one of the greatest London gunmakers. He was gunmaker to George IV and the Duke of York, and was granted various patents during the course of his long and distinguished career. Examples of his work are preserved in the Royal Collection, at Windsor Castle, and many other public and private collections. For full details see Claude Blair, 'The Egg Family, Part 1 and Part 1 (contd.)', J.A.A.S., Vol. VII (1973), pp. 266-299 and 305-353.