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Extraordinary Relief Carved and Chiseled 17th Century Austrian Wheellock Sporting Rifle by the Renowned “Master of the Animal-Head Scroll” with Spanner - NSN, 58 cal., 32 3/4 inch octagon bbl., silver/brown/bright finish, walnut stock. This 17th century rifle is a true work of art from end to end and is an exceptional example of how ornate wheellock firearms can be thanks to their production mainly being limited to arms for the aristocracy. Their artistry has also made wheellocks staples of the arms collections of world renowned art museums, but while many wheellocks have highly ornate stocks, this rifle also has full coverage chiseled and silvered designs on the visible portions of the lock and barrel, a very uncommon feature that really sets it apart. The amount of time invested in this incredible sporting rifle must have been extraordinary. Its incredibly ornate, relief carved stock is consistent with the work of a master gunstocker active in the early to mid 17th century and that has been nicknamed the “Master of the Animal-Head Scroll” (Meister der Tierkopfranke). This unidentified artisan produced some of the most ornate and beautiful stocks of the 17th century. The high coverage, relief carved floral scroll patterns with animal heads and animal designs are considered his hallmark. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in their listing for similar sporting rifle (Accession Number: 2018.103) with stock attributed to the this stockmaker states: the stock was “produced by the anonymous gunstocker called the Master of the Animal-Head Scroll, after the eponymous design motif that appears throughout his work. Probably employed by the imperial court in Vienna, he was active between 1624 and 1659, the dates recorded on his earliest and latest-known firearms. Characteristic of this master’s work is the carving of the stock, with leafy tendrils ending in animal or bird heads, and the recessed background, which is either stippled or matted for contrast and, often, engraved with foliage.” That rifle is pictured on page 154 from the “Antique Arms Annual” from 1971 in an article about Joe Kindig Jr.’s collection. Included with the rifle is a copy of the relevant page from the rough draft of Tom Lewis’ book which notes that “The mate to this rifle is pictured in” the article “The Master of the Animal-Head Scroll” by Hans Schedelmann in “Arms and Armor Annual Volume 1” and is “located in the museum in Torino, Italy.” Other examples are noted from the Collection of the Princes of Liechtenstein, and the rifle in the Philadelphia Museum of Art was made for Ferdinand III of Austria, King of Hungary and Bohemia.
LOT 3288