A Highly Important Inscribed Polish-Italian Flintlock Blunderbuss, Dated 1733
 

Sold by auction at Rothenbücher, Bayreuth (the Wagner City) in Franconia, Nov 15, 2008.

I give the full German catalog text as it quotes the unsually extensive Old Polish and Latin barrel inscription. The barrel bears the maker's signature of a member of the most renowned Italian barrelsmith family, Lazaro Lazarino (Cominazzo). The fact that the most important actual family name of Cominazzo is missing here can be interpreted as a hint to the fact that the barrel and gun clearly reflect the Italian taste but are of original Polish craftsmanship.

The overall length was 90 cm, the estimate 3,500 euro. The auction house does not publish price lists but I should say that anything between 15,000 and 30,000 euro would seem adequate.

Enjoy.

Best,
Michael

Magnificent, Michael !
Was it made for a noble ... a count ... so i read in the Latin part?
If i wouldn't know its origin, as ignorant as i am, i would say that parts of the decoration are the type found in some guns at the Real Armearia de Madrid, as can be seen in its catalogue.
Do i notice that the inscription in Latin is so extensive as that in old Polish?
Interesting indeed.
The only uninteresting thing in it is ... the price it must have gone up to :eek:
Fernando

Hi Fernando,

The inscription states that this blunderbuss was a present by both the citizens and senate of the city of Elblag, and by the Count of Czapski to King Stanislaus I in memory of the beginning of the War of the Polish Succession in 1733-5.

You are of course perfectly right, my learned friend: this remarkable style of decoration in the French-Italian taste was copied all over Europe and came to be the leading style of the first half of the 18th century. There are certainly fine samples in the Real Armería as well.

Best,
Michael

What is the [more recent] provenance for this piece?

The provenance was a small Franconian castle the name of which was not given in the catalog.

Best,
Michael