Splendour: The Philippe Missillier Collection of Islamic & Indian Arms and Armour

An Ottoman Miquelet Lock Pistol, Turkey, 17th or 18th Century

Restricted Species

Auction Closed

April 29, 12:32 PM GMT

Estimate

10,000 - 15,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

the cylindrical steel barrel moulded and inlaid with silver in simple arabesque motifs, flintlock mechanism with decorative plates of silver and brass, set on a wooden stock inlaid with cintamani decoration and stylised tulips in coloured wood and walrus ivory, a mother-of-pearl roundel inlaid with a rosette on the left side of the stock opposite the lock mechanism, swelling but with partially inlaid walrus ivory butt plate with further cintamani decoration, two drill holes for trigger guard (now missing)

39cm.

This lot contains walrus ivory, which is an endangered species. Sotheby’s recommends that buyers check with their own government regarding any importation requirements prior to placing a bid, as lots containing endangered species may be subject to import restrictions in certain countries or necessitate licenses and certificates for export from some and import into others. The possession of an export license or certificate does not guarantee obtaining its counterpart elsewhere. Buyers must ascertain and adhere to all applicable regulatory requirements regarding the import and export of such items before bidding, securing all necessary licenses and certificates at their expense. The inability to export or import these items, or their seizure by a government agency, does not justify delaying payment or cancelling a sale.

Philippe Missillier Collection no.152C

Other Ottoman flintlock pistols include an example in the Khalili collection (inv. no.MTW1162; Empire of the Sultans, Musée Rath, Geneva 1995, p.153, no.97), dated to the seventeenth century. A pair of pistols in the Rüstkammer of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden dated to the seventeenth century were noted in an inventory of 1716 (Inv. nos.Y 1 and Y 4, Holger Schuckelt, Die Türkische Cammer, Dresden: Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden, 2010, pp.307-9, no.306). Two dated pistols are in the Topkapi Saray: one with a tughra of Ahmed III (r.1703-30) and another bearing the date 1179 AH/1765-66 AD) is signed by Mustafa (Inv. nos.1/2136 and 1/2145; Anatolian Civilisations, exhibition catalogue, Istanbul 1983, nos.E.296 and E. 297, not illustrated). For two other Ottoman flintlock pistols with related stocks and butts dated to the third quarter of the seventeenth century, see Robert Elgood, The Arms of Greece and Her Balkan Neighbours in the Ottoman Period, London: Thames and Hudson, 2009, pp.32, 318, nos.022, 023.

The cintamani motif was popular among Ottoman gunsmiths and appears on several guns in the Rüstkammer in Dresden, including a gun made in the second half of the seventeenth century (inv. no.Y 338; Holger Schuckelt (ed.), The Turkish Chamber: Oriental Splendour in the Dresden Armoury, Dresden: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2010, pp.84-85).