Thomas Del Mar - Armour Sale

378378A RARE PAIR OF AUSTRIAN WHEEL-LOCK SPORTINGRIFLES BY HEINRICH AUER IN SALZBURG, CIRCA 1730each with swamped octagonal sighted barrel rifled withseven grooves, signed within a linear panel behind theback-sight and stamped with the platinum linedbarrelsmith’s stamp, in an oval the letters HA above ashield carrying a bird, engraved tang, engraved flat lockdecorated with a bear confronted by a hunter within alandscape, internal wheel, flash-guard, sliding pan-cover,the dog pierced with an arrangement of three entwinedserpents, double set trigger (one missing), hardwood fullstock stained in imitation of rootwood, lightly carved withfoliage about the barrel tang and moulded over the foreend(one stock with light worm damage, each with smallchips), carved cheek-piece inlaid with a panel of contrastingpieces of horn and burrwood, sliding patchbox-cover inlaidwith contrasting colours of horn and burrwood, mouldedsteel trigger-guard shaped for the fingers, steel trigger-platewith foliate terminal, the side nails each with a hornflowerhead washer, horn butt-plate, horn fore-end capsinlaid with contrasting colours of horn, and horn-tippedwooden ramrods, one the original (the ramrod-pipesmissing, the steel parts lightly cleaned with chemicals)84.5cm; 33D in barrels(2)This maker, and his mark, appear to be unrecorded. He ispresumably a relative of Johann Heinrich Auer, recorded at451 and 458 Linzergasse, Salzburg between 1721-63. Hestopped working in 1761 when he was disabled by alandslide which severly damaged his house and workshop.The mark may be a pun on Auerhahn, a capercaillie.£8000-10000155