Albanian Silver-stocked Miquelet Pistol, Early 19th C

Description

Featuring wooden full stock with rattail butt completely encased in finely worked silver
decorated over its entire surface with silver filigree depicting scrolling foliage in relief with
wide silver barrel band at muzzle decorated ensuite (some silver loss on left side).
Tapering 13 ½” round barrel of approximately .62 caliber, crudely forged and showing
hammer marks. Miqulet lock with grooved frizzen and ball trigger. The fine workmanship
of the silver stock is in stark contrast to the crude barrel and lock, but overall it is a very
attractive and functional piece. Albania was a region of the Ottoman Empire which
produced large numbers of pistols under contract to the empire. Overall length 19 ½”.
Nearly identical example illustrated in “Islamic Weapons: Maghrib to Moghul” by
Anthony Tirri, fig. 113A, p. 161.