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LOT 499
Outstanding and Stunning Factory Master Manrico
Torcoli Signed and Photo-Realistic Bulino Nude Themed
Engraved True Trio of Ivo Fabbri 28 Gauge Assisted-
Opening Pinless Sidelock Over/Under Shotguns with Case -A) Ivo Fabbri Over/Under Shotgun - Serial no.
E781, 28 gauge, 28 1/8 inch vent rib bbl., blue/brushed bright finish, walnut stock. Ivo Fabbri began his career in
firearms along side one of the most well-known names in the business, Daniele Perazzi. After they both went their
separate ways, Daniele Perazzi went on to create arguably the world’s finest shooting sporting guns, while Fabbri
pursued his dream to build the finest guns in the world, a goal that many would argue he achieved, and at the
very least his name stands at the top of the list with the likes of the oldest names in the business like Holland &
Holland, Purdey, and Boss. This exceptional trio of guns is a testament to his goal, with Fabbri only building some
30 guns a year, each of which is hand crafted from the ground up by some of Italy’s finest craftsmen before being
engraved by only the top names in the world of firearms engraving. Trios such as this do not often appear for
public sale, making this a scarce opportunity to take it home now and to skip the multi-year wait necessary when
ordering a set like this from Fabbri themselves.
Each gun in this magnificent trio was built with blued steel bifurcated lump barrels featuring a single nickel bead
sight on the finely matted flat vent rib which is inlaid with a gold “1”, “2”, or “3” at the base for their respective place
in the set, “IVO FABBRI - BRESCIA.-” and “VACUUM ARC REMELTING STEEL” hand marked on the left and right of
the upper tube, and tasteful light scroll engraving around the breech. All three barrel sets bear 1995 dated Italian
proofs on and ahead of the flats and are proofed with 2 3/4 inch chambers which have automatic ejectors.
The barrels are then fitted to their stunning brushed bright finished assisted-opening pinless sidelock actions
which displays breathtaking bulino style photo-realistic engraving cut by the hands of Italian Master Engraver
Manrico Torcoli, who has signed all three guns on the triggerplate to the right of the triggerguard “.TORCOLI.
INC.” More examples of Torcoli’s work, much of it in a similar vein to this trio, can be seen on page 192-202 of
Marco Nobli’s well-known work “Il Grande Libro Delle Incisioni”. All three guns are thematically the same, though
each with its own unique design centered around nude models all set amongst a host of avian companions.
Gun number 1 (“A”) displays a kneeling woman surrounded by a host of geese in different poses with one which
appears to be phasing through her left shoulder on the left lockplate, the underside features another kneeling
woman, this time with a crane, and the right has a woman sitting surrounded by a number of swans. Guns number
2 (“B”) and 3 (“C”) are much the same with different poses for the nudes and a host of tropical birds, birds of prey,
and ravens on number 2 and song birds on gun number 3. All three guns show a multitude of peacock feathers
flowing through the designs as well as gold inlaid “IVO FABBRI” signatures on the action below either lockplate as
well as a gold “1”, “2”, or “3” on the upper tang and the serial number in gold on the lower tang. Each gun features
a single non-selective trigger, a right hand rolled triggerguard, and a tang mounted automatic safety with gold
inlaid “SAFE” indicator.
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