AN OUTSTANDING PAIR OF WHEEL-LOCK RIFLES category: The Baron von Weyhe collection provenence: Saxony dating: last quarter of the 18th Century Octagonal, rifled barrels, slightly bell-mouthed at the nozzle, on the ends are thin weavy lines frames; brass foresight, one barrel has a variable rearsight and the other one a larged fixed rearsight; 14 mm cal.; smooth flat plate locks with the mark «WS» (hidden in the patchbox-plate), internal wheels and springs; slightly engraved cock necks, sliding pan covers, fine wooden full stocks fretwork in the shape of a dragon's head in front of the plate; completely outlined and with many bone intarsia on all of its surface; both weapons have a sideplate and an opening on the stock's right side made of bone plaques fretwork in bas relief on a dark background with hounds fighting against a deer on the first one and hounds running after a wild animal on the other; the cheekpiece are inlaid with a scene where three hunters are weighting their prey, a big deer and on the background a man with his dog on a leash, all of which surrounded by spirals; on the lower part is a cartouche with the writing «SOLI DEO GLORIA»; on the lower part of the weapons are other animal-shaped bone intarsia (a pricket above the inscription «ANNA PERGK» on one of the rifles), on the stocks (a bear) and under the barrels (dogs and wolves); around the trigger guards are two big floral decorations with animals' heads and clover-shaped frames repeated around the guards, which are made of bone and on which is a big coat of arms and the letters «G.f.V.K.»; underneath the stocks the fire-stamp of Salm Reiffescheidt prince (two salmons) is clearly visible with the numbers «1» and «2»; both the patchboxes have a spring button and are completely covered with bone carved in the shape of a dog running after a deer among floral motifs and birds' heads; horn mouths carved in the shape of lions, floral pattern barrel holders; iron guard's spheres and anatomic trigger guards, set triggers; wooden bone-tipped ramrods. Provenance: Salm Reifferscheidt collection, Schloss Dyck. The numbers «1» and «2» beside the stamps let understand how highly considered these two rifles were. On the weapons are also the armory's second cataloging plates (1906). The initials on the guards probably are Ritter Georg Stephan von Kern's. The stamp on the barrels is probably attributable to the gunmaker Zacharias Blume. condition: very good dimensions: 97 cm