Spanish Blunderbuss Questions

dana_w · 6th December 2016, 08:08 PM

A friend of mine recently purchased this blunderbuss at auction. It was identified as being made for the Ottoman-Turkish market, but I have my doubts. It is 30 ½ inches long overall. The barrel is decorated with silver wire inlays with a inlaid double-headed crowned bird near the muzzle. The lock is marked JOAN.BOP.Y.SALA. The silver barrel band may be a later addition.

I’d guess the blunderbuss could date from as early as the mid 18th Century, but it might be much newer.

Several Joan Salsa are listed in Diccionario Biografico de Artistas de Cataluna, desde la epoca romana hasta nuestros dias (Biographical Dictionary of Artists of Catalonia, from Roman times to the present day) by J. F. Rafols, (1951), see attached images. I don’t speak Spanish and have yet to pass these listing by Google Translate.

Can anyone help me identify the makers of this weapon? Comments are welcome.

All images are copyright (c) 2016 Dana K. Williams. All rights are reserved.

6th December 2016, 08:08 PM	#1
dana_w Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Southeast Florida, USA Posts: 429	Spanish Blunderbuss Questions A friend of mine recently purchased this blunderbuss at auction. It was identified as being made for the Ottoman-Turkish market, but I have my doubts. It is 30 ½ inches long overall. The barrel is decorated with silver wire inlays with a inlaid double-headed crowned bird near the muzzle. The lock is marked JOAN.BOP.Y.SALA. The silver barrel band may be a later addition. I’d guess the blunderbuss could date from as early as the mid 18th Century, but it might be much newer. Several Joan Salsa are listed in Diccionario Biografico de Artistas de Cataluna, desde la epoca romana hasta nuestros dias (Biographical Dictionary of Artists of Catalonia, from Roman times to the present day) by J. F. Rafols, (1951), see attached images. I don’t speak Spanish and have yet to pass these listing by Google Translate. Can anyone help me identify the makers of this weapon? Comments are welcome. All images are copyright (c) 2016 Dana K. Williams. All rights are reserved. Attached Images