A deluxe wheellock rifle from the armoury of the Princes of Esterházy, Matthias Staper, Vienna, circa 1730 Octagonal barrel slightly indented in the middle with seven-groove rifled bore in 14 mm calibre. Dovetailed sights with gilt, double folding rear sight. The base of the barrel with cord inlay in gold, at the breech signed "Mathias Staper in Wienn". Set trigger. Richly engraved lock with internal wheel, the inside with cut and engraved springs. Lock plate with depiction of a deer hunt in an expansive landscape, the cock with seated Minerva. Full stock of beautifully grained walnut wood carved with tendrils. Butt wit cap. Engraved and fire-gilt brass furniture, the side plate with rich openwork and depiction of Perseus with head of Medusa. On the cheek rest plaque with crowned coat of arms of the Princes of Esterházy, flanked by two Cupids. Minor repair in the stock wood below the patch box. Original, wooden ramrod with tip of gilt brass. Length 114 cm. Matthias Staper (Stoper), recorded as gunsmith in Vienna 1712-47. He was born in the Styrian town of Windisch-Feistritz and became master in 1712. Provenance: The Princes of Esterházy of Galántha are among the noblest and most influential families in Hungary and the Danube Monarchy. In 1687, Count Paul VI was raised to the rank of royal prince for his merits during the Turkish Wars. One ancestral seat of the family is the well-known Forchtenstein Castle in Burgenland. Condition: II +