A Fine Rare 17th Century Flintlock Blunderbuss by Blanckle. 15” overall, 7 3/8” two stage copper alloy barrel engraved with acanthus at the flared muzzle & in front of the turned girdle, border engraved octagonal breech becoming polygonal, signed in capitals ‘I. Blanckle’ along the top flat & decorated with strawberry foliage, a line of wrigglework at the rear, & struck with London proof marks & barrelsmith’s mark, probably of John Blanckle, foliate engraved tang , border engraved rounded lock signed in capitals & decorated with strawberry foliage issuing from the mouth of a male profile head, engraved cock. Walnut moulded figured full stock with drop shaped apron around the barrel tang, copper alloy mounts comprising pierced foliate scroll side plate engraved with beadwork, escutcheon engraved with a male portrait bust wearing a cap against a finely dotted ground, rounded pommel cap engraved with a flower head centred on the retaining screw & with a border of repeated foliage, trigger guard with pointed finial & engraved with scrolling foliage issuing from the mouth of a monster head, baluster ramrod pipe, later capped wooden ramrod.
Late 17th century.
Blunderbuss of this age are very rare, this example restocked with a later side plate & replaced mainspring,
John Blanckle (also Blanckley, Blanckly and Blankley) was apprenticed to Thomas Towle and turned over to Thomas Cox in 1699. He was free of the London Gunmakers’ Company in 1677. He was Contractor to Ordnance between 1682 and 1700, the year of his death.