Original French 17th Century Silver Mounted Over-Under Double Barreled Flintlock Pistol Pair with Rare Waterproof Pans Original Items

Original Items: One-of-a-kind!

Well I bought these over twenty years ago, and have loved them ever since. These are truly remarkable, dating from 1670-1680 in my view they are an extraordinarily beautiful pair of Louis XIV era pistols.

These pistols are Double barreled over and under with four separate flintlock mechanisms, measuring 20-inches overall and 13.25-inch barrels with long 2.5-inch tangs each with three retaining screws.

The barrels are embossed at the rear and show a Makers Mark of a gold pacing horse (at this point the Maker is unidentified). The FOUR long banana shaped locks are gently engraved with foliage and mounted Cavalrymen activated by four separate triggers.

The wood stocks are the most beautiful burl walnut and the mounts are all silver and the eared butt caps display the most pleasing grotesque masks. The silver trigger guards display a large leaf design over the rear portion of the bottom barrels each of which displays three gold inlaid proof” type marks that appear the Boubon “Fleur De Lis” (lily markings) as used by the French Royalty at that time.

Both of the horn tipped ramrods are original and retain their iron screwworms for cleaning the barrels and removing unwanted charges.

The locks are of typical early banana shape style with the hammer screws carved into satanic faces, each lock is engraved PARIS directly under the pan.

As if this was not enough the most interesting technical asset to this pair of pistols is the inclusion of an early form of waterproof pan. Each frizzen covers a lower plate that can be released from the frizzen by depressing a lever in the rear of the frizzen’s striking surface, also disguised as a grotesque mask. This allows the frizzen to be charged leaving the frizzen in the open/fired position but leaving the pan powder protected and dry, a very clever safety feature. Just cocking the hammer and closing the frizzen automatically reattaches the lower plate to the frizzen and upon firing reveals the powder pan in the usual way; and all this was done sometime between 1670 and1680!

I always felt these very fine pistols must have a “Royal Connection” but other than the Gold “Fleur De Lis” touch marks on the lower barrels I have nothing to confirm that speculation.

These are wonderful and I look upon them like my own children and I will be mortified

to part with them, therefore my desire is that this Pair of Pistols go to a collector who will love them as much as I have done.