Original 18th Century Spanish Snaphaunce Lock 20 Bore Fowling Piece by Diego Esquivel of Madrid - Circa 1720

Original Item: One of a Kind. Here we have a beautiful example of an early 18th Century Spanish Snaphaunce Lock Fowling Piece in approximately 20 Bore, crafted by gunmaker Diego Esquivel of Madrid. Guns of this era from Spain were true works of art, usually made to order, and featured carved stocks and extremely high levels of decoration. This example features a fantastic 2 stage octagon to round barrel, which has just a bit of a flare at the muzzle.

The fowler is all brass mounted, and features multiple expertly engraved scenes on many of them. The large side plate has a fantastic hunting scene, showing what looks to be hounds after a Wild Boar, and the escutcheon on the back of the wrist looks to show a hunting hound as well. The iron lock plate has additional hunting scenes, and there are additional engraved brass adornments on the bottom of the fore stock, one of which looks to have a LION surrounded by G R, possibly indicating it was sold to someone in England. It must have taken a very long amount of time to execute all of this engraving work.

This lovely fowling piece came to us with a small label giving some history of the maker:

Snaphaunce Fowler By Diego Esquivel Circa 1695 - 1732
Understudy to Alonso Martinez, Royal maker for Charles II, Madrid.

There is also the typical Spanish punzón touchmark on the barrel, highlighted in gold, which reads:

(Crown)
DI·ES
QVI
BEL

The first name abbreviation "DI" has a superscript "O" between the two letters, as we have seen on other examples of Spanish arms. The gun's overall length is 57 inches, with a 42 1/2 inch barrel, and it is is half stocked featuring a lovely brass nose cap.

The lock is fully engraved with very fine designs, and pretty much every part of the lock has some type of engraving, though there is no maker marking on the lock. It is the classic snaphaunce design, with a fully functional sliding cover over the flash pan. This type of lock was very popular in Spain during the time, as the "modern" French style flintlock that attached the pan cover to the frizzen was not fully popularized yet. The lock seems to be fully functional, however it does not have any provision for a half cock position, which seems to be correct due to the presence of the pan cover.

The metalwork of the gun shows a lovely aged patina on the barrel, while the lock is a bit more polished, and the brass areas have a lovely mustard patina. The stock has a great "banister" style butt stock, and overall has a fantastic color, showing no major damage or wear. There are two small round brass sling swivels attached to the left side stock, and there is a brass ramrod pipe about 9 inches from the muzzle. There is also an iron tipped ramrod under the barrel, which definitely looks to be original, or at least a period replacement.

This is a truly lovely piece of mid 18th century Spanish craftsmanship. Ready to add to your collection and display!

Specifications:

Years of Manufacture: Circa 1720
Caliber: approx .62" - about 20 bore
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball / Shot & Powder
Barrel Length: 42 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 57 inches
Action: Snaphaunce Flintlock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

History of the Snaphaunce Lock:

A snaphance or snaphaunce is a type of lock for firing a gun or is a gun using that mechanism. The name is Dutch in origin but the mechanism can not be attributed to the Netherlands with certainty. It is the mechanical progression of the wheellock firing mechanism, and along with the miquelet lock and doglock are predecessors of the flintlock mechanism. It fires from a flint struck against a striker plate above a steel pan to ignite the priming powder which fires the gun. It has a separate cover for the flash pan, unlike the flintlock, which combines the striker and pan cover into a single piece, known as the frizzen. Examples of this firearm can be found through Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.