EXQUISITE PAIR OF HIGH RELIEF ENGRAVED EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ITALIAN SNAPHAUNCE PISTOLS SIGNED “IL NEGRONI” “A:BRENTO” AND DATED “1769”.

EXQUISITE PAIR OF HIGH RELIEF ENGRAVED EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ITALIAN SNAPHAUNCE PISTOLS SIGNED “IL NEGRONI” “A:BRENTO” AND DATED “1769”. SN NSN. Cal. 49. These truly exceptional pistols have 10-1/2″ segmented to round tapered barrels with wedding band transitions. Snaphaunce locks have spring loaded sliding pan covers. Full length stocks are of burl walnut. Furniture is of steel. Belt hooks are affixed to left side. Turned horn-tipped greenheart ramrods have steel worms at tails. The embellishment of wood and metal on these pistols almost defies description, due to its high quality and complexity. Relief engraving is of the highest order, perfectly detailed and polished, and is the work of the founder of the Negroni school of Tuscan metal workers. Interior of the lock of one pistol is signed “Il Negroni”, the other “A: Brento” and dated “1769” on sear housing. Heer in DER NEUE STOCKEL lists “Il Negroni” in Brento, Emilia, Italy from 1730 to 1770. There were a number of Negroni craftsmen in Emilia who worked as his contemporaries, or successors, including Angelo, Carlo, Giovanni, Pier Francesco, Pier Paolo, and Giovan Battista. Only the “master” and founder signed his work “Il Negroni”. Bright polished lock internals have file decoration to springs and sear housings. Barrels are engraved with high relief scrolled acanthus with stippled background, with be-wigged gentleman’s bust facing right at breech. The locks are absolutely exquisite, with arched plates with long tails. Sliding pan covers are embellished with full carved face of porcine mustachioed gentlemen. Bottoms of pans continue this theme, with another full carved face. Serpentine cocks have full, raised, carved, acanthus scroll framing mustachioed face on front edges, a tendril of scroll forms reinforces. Spurs terminate with small female head with long tresses. Cock retaining screws are carved with fat female face which matches pivot screws for frizzens, which have long sinuous arms, again, full relief engraved with sculpted scrolled flourishes, dragon’s heads, and extremely buxom female figures, supporting frizzen plates. Frizzen springs have nicely filed decorations, with turned finials. There are two relief figures on lockplates at either side of pans, facing each other, and holding flowers. Tails of locks have full relief busts of gentlemen facing forward. Deeply relief acanthus carved burl walnut stocks are iron mounted. These mounts have many piercings with the same acanthus themes as stocks, with added full relief engravings. Four trumpet blowing winged “angels” are on each bulbous butt cap, which also have geometric outline engraving and finials with full carved gentleman’s busts. Trigger guards with pierced acanthus finials have another large bust on bows. Triggers are relief scroll carved. Sideplates under belt hooks with relief filed acanthus finials, are pierced with scroll and dragon’s heads, framing pair of angels holding central relief portrait of what appears to be a buxom lady (?). Crest plates at tops of grips are also pierced with coiled dragons below a central portrait surmounted by grotesque mask, and flanked by large breasted “ladies” with pendulous bellies, and folded wings (fallen angels?). Beautifully filed and turned ramrod pipes continue the theme. CONDITION: Excellent, essentially “as found” with early high quality repairs and restoration to fore-stock of one pistol. Metal parts retain nearly all of their orig bright polish finish with some small areas of oxidation on bbls needing cleaning, some pitting around touch holes, and darkening on grip caps. There is some pinprick pitting on belt hooks. Stock of one gun is excellent, with very slight wear to carving. Two repaired cracks are in burl along fore-piece. About 4-1/2″ of fore-piece of the other pistol has been replaced, with closely matching burl with excellent replication of the carving of the other pistol. This newer piece has also subsequently cracked through mounting pin for thimble. This pistol also has a repaired crack running through front of lock mortise around bottom and up left side of bbl in front of sideplate. Interior web is reinforced with cloth. Thimbles of both guns are missing their retaining pins, and are only held in place by orig ramrods. An incredible pair of investment grade, museum quality, Italian pistols. Examples seldom come to market; especially in this astounding condition. 4-42076 MGM153 (10,000-15,000)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2012

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2348	$60,375.00	EXQUISITE PAIR OF HIGH RELIEF ENGRAVED EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ITALIAN SNAPHAUNCE PISTOLS SIGNED “IL NEGRONI” “A:BRENTO” AND DATED “1769”. SN NSN. Cal. 49. These truly exceptional pistols have 10-1/2″ segmented to round tapered barrels with wedding band transitions. Snaphaunce locks have spring loaded sliding pan covers. Full length stocks are of burl walnut. Furniture is of steel. Belt hooks are affixed to left side. Turned horn-tipped greenheart ramrods have steel worms at tails. The embellishment of wood and metal on these pistols almost defies description, due to its high quality and complexity. Relief engraving is of the highest order, perfectly detailed and polished, and is the work of the founder of the Negroni school of Tuscan metal workers. Interior of the lock of one pistol is signed “Il Negroni”, the other “A: Brento” and dated “1769” on sear housing. Heer in DER NEUE STOCKEL lists “Il Negroni” in Brento, Emilia, Italy from 1730 to 1770. There were a number of Negroni craftsmen in Emilia who worked as his contemporaries, or successors, including Angelo, Carlo, Giovanni, Pier Francesco, Pier Paolo, and Giovan Battista. Only the “master” and founder signed his work “Il Negroni”. Bright polished lock internals have file decoration to springs and sear housings. Barrels are engraved with high relief scrolled acanthus with stippled background, with be-wigged gentleman’s bust facing right at breech. The locks are absolutely exquisite, with arched plates with long tails. Sliding pan covers are embellished with full carved face of porcine mustachioed gentlemen. Bottoms of pans continue this theme, with another full carved face. Serpentine cocks have full, raised, carved, acanthus scroll framing mustachioed face on front edges, a tendril of scroll forms reinforces. Spurs terminate with small female head with long tresses. Cock retaining screws are carved with fat female face which matches pivot screws for frizzens, which have long sinuous arms, again, full relief engraved with sculpted scrolled flourishes, dragon’s heads, and extremely buxom female figures, supporting frizzen plates. Frizzen springs have nicely filed decorations, with turned finials. There are two relief figures on lockplates at either side of pans, facing each other, and holding flowers. Tails of locks have full relief busts of gentlemen facing forward. Deeply relief acanthus carved burl walnut stocks are iron mounted. These mounts have many piercings with the same acanthus themes as stocks, with added full relief engravings. Four trumpet blowing winged “angels” are on each bulbous butt cap, which also have geometric outline engraving and finials with full carved gentleman’s busts. Trigger guards with pierced acanthus finials have another large bust on bows. Triggers are relief scroll carved. Sideplates under belt hooks with relief filed acanthus finials, are pierced with scroll and dragon’s heads, framing pair of angels holding central relief portrait of what appears to be a buxom lady (?). Crest plates at tops of grips are also pierced with coiled dragons below a central portrait surmounted by grotesque mask, and flanked by large breasted “ladies” with pendulous bellies, and folded wings (fallen angels?). Beautifully filed and turned ramrod pipes continue the theme. CONDITION: Excellent, essentially “as found” with early high quality repairs and restoration to fore-stock of one pistol. Metal parts retain nearly all of their orig bright polish finish with some small areas of oxidation on bbls needing cleaning, some pitting around touch holes, and darkening on grip caps. There is some pinprick pitting on belt hooks. Stock of one gun is excellent, with very slight wear to carving. Two repaired cracks are in burl along fore-piece. About 4-1/2″ of fore-piece of the other pistol has been replaced, with closely matching burl with excellent replication of the carving of the other pistol. This newer piece has also subsequently cracked through mounting pin for thimble. This pistol also has a repaired crack running through front of lock mortise around bottom and up left side of bbl in front of sideplate. Interior web is reinforced with cloth. Thimbles of both guns are missing their retaining pins, and are only held in place by orig ramrods. An incredible pair of investment grade, museum quality, Italian pistols. Examples seldom come to market; especially in this astounding condition. 4-42076 MGM153 (10,000-15,000) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2012 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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