An outstanding wheel-lock rifle dating: mid-17th Century provenance: Germany Rifled, octagonal, 15 mm cal. barrel, bell-mouthed toward the nozzle, engraved and gilt with floral motifs at the first part and the nozzle, the owner's name 'W.C.V. KLENGEL OBRISTER' at the centre, all on blued background, blued, adjustable rear-sight and gilt foresight; tang decorated en suite; beautiful lock, inside wheel covered by a polychrome enamelled disk depicting trophies, flat plate engraved and gilt with warrior, trophies and floral motifs, the hammer and the plate at the same level, pan cover with spring button hidden behind a flower; dark, walnut full stock, decorated with finely engraved bone plaques, at the counter-plate the effigy of a war camp, soldier with war mace and halberd near a cannon among curls and flowers; at the left side another warrior over a large trophy, at the base tents and cannon; another trophy at the right, bone patchbox cover with trophy, more small plaques at the nozzle; semi-clear, smooth butt-plate, anatomic iron trigger guard, pierced, gilt iron base, leaf-shaped trigger, set trigger. Bone-tipped wooden ramrod with iron base. Some restorations. The name W.C.V. Klengel Obrister on the barrel corresponds to the name of the owner of this beautiful rifle. An Obrister (Oberster Feldhauptmann) was chief of a regiment of 4000/5000 soldiers in the 16th Century Germany. Wolf Caspar von Klengel (Dresden 8h of June 1630 - 10th of January 1691) was architect and engineer with the grade of artillery colonel. Klengel is considered as a founder of the Saxonian baroque architecture and was art-historically a most important Saxonian architect of the 17th Century. He was upper agriculture master and upper supervisor of the civilian and military buildings under the Saxonian cure prince Johann George II. Literature: 'Wolf Caspar von Klengel' by Günter Passavant, Deutscher Kunstverlag München, 2001.The weapon is attributed to Christian Herold, gunsmith of Prince Johann George II of Saxony. The Dresden Museum keeps other weapons by the gunsmith. The Dresden Armory keeps also an armour which used to belong to Wolf Caspar von Klengel. length 116 cm.