A NICE AND VERY RARE EARLY PISTOL BY LOUIS BARBAR OF LONDON. A TRUE EXAMPLE OF A “QUEEN ANNE” TYPE PISTOL, A TERM WHICH REFERS TO CANNON BARREL PISTOLS WITH SIDE LOCK ACTION OF WHICH SIMILAR PISTOLS CONTINUED TO BE MADE TILL THE 1780′S, THIS BEING THE ORIGINAL DESIGN, DIFFERENT TO LATER EXAMPLES HAVING A HOLSTER PISTOL TYPE BUTT CAP, IN THIS CASE IN SILVER. FOR A PISTOL WELL OVER 300 YEARS OLD IN VERY GOOD CONDITION, AND SURPRISINGLY, NO REPLACED PARTS, THE COCK, JAW, AND SCREW THE ORIGINAL. TURN-OFF 18-BORE CANNON BARREL. ACTION IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. SILVER BUTT CAP WITH LONG SPURS AND GROTESQUE MASK TO THE BASE. NICE EVEN LIGHT GREY PATINA. LONG SPUR TRIGGER GUARD, AS PER THE EARLY 1700′S PERIOD. LONDON PROOF MARKS TO THE BREECH AND BARBAR’S ”IB” MARK. 13.25 INCHES LONG. FRAME MARKED “BARBAR LONDINI” BARBAR WAS ACTIVE IN LONDON FROM THE LATE 1600′S AND APPOINTED GENTLEMAN ARMOURER TO KING GEORGE 1ST IN 1717. SILVER ESCUTCHEON TO THE STOCK WITH, ALTHOUGH A LITTLE FADED NOW, A DUCAL CORONET WITH FIVE TERMINALS, SO MADE FOR AN EARL OR A DUKE. THIS PROBABLY RELATES TO, GENERAL JOHN, 2nd DUKE OF MONTAGU (1698-1778) WHO BECAME MASTER OF THE ORDNANCE IN 1740. THE DUKE WAS A VERY REGULAR CUSTOMER OF BARBAR’S, AND COLLECTOR OF FIREARMS. MUCH OF HIS COLLECTION IS STILL INTACT, AND INCLUDES AROUND 60 GUNS MADE FOR HIM BY BARBAR. DETAILS OF THE COLLECTION, AND THE DUKE CAN BE FOUND BY COPY / PASTING THE TWO LINKS BELOW.