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Beautiful Engraved and Ivory Gripped Austrian Pinfire Pocket Pistol by Ferdinand Früwirth

Beautiful Engraved and Ivory Gripped Austrian Pinfire Pocket Pistol by Ferdinand Früwirth

  • Product Code: FHG-2433-SOLD
  • Availability: Out Of Stock
  • $1,495.00


This is a really stunning Austrian single shot, tip-down barrel pinfire pocket pistol made by one of the more famous of the Vienna gunmakers of the 19th century, Ferdinand Früwirth. The Früwirth (also noted as Fruhwirth and sometimes Fruewürth) gunmaking family of Vienna Austria can trace their roots to gunmaker Joseph Früwirth (1722-1797). It is believed that Joseph was from Moravia and was the son of Georg Früwirth (1680-1760), who was himself a second generation Moravian gunmaker. Joseph worked as an apprentice and gunsmith at the Prince of Esterhazy at Fortchenstein Castle and became a journeyman in 1753 and became a master in 1757. That year he married the daughter of gunsmith Christoph Ries. Christoph was a well-established Vienna gunmaker who worked circa 1732-1757 and upon his death, Joseph took over his business. In 1758 he became a court gun and gun wrench maker. His son Johann (1766-1824) took over Joseph’s business circa 1789. Johann had begun his apprenticeship in 1783 and became a master in 1788. When Johann died in 1824 his widow took over the management of the business until his son Ferdinand (1813-1867) took over the business in 1834. Ferdinand became a master gunmaker in 1834, allowing him to take over his father’s shop. Ferdinand’s son Ferdinand II (1842-1892) would continue the family business until his death and would be instrumental in the development and improvement in Austrian rifle designs during the 3rd quarter of the 19th century. This gun is likely the work of Ferdinand I who worked circa 1834-1867.

 

The pistol is 7” in overall length with a 3.35” round barrel that is opened by actuating a traditional underlever release like that found on pinfire shotguns of the mid-19th century period produced by Casimir, and later Eugene Lefaucheux. The pistol’s firing action is typical of single-shot English and European pocket pistols of the late 18th through mid-19thcentury with a concealed trigger that folds down when the single action hammer is brought to full cock. The pistol has a nominally 10.5mm bore at the muzzle and measures 12mm at the breech, indicating it is 12mm pinfire pistol. Much confusion surrounds these early metallic cartridge weapons as the “caliber” is often defined by the case diameter rather than the bullet diameter. The pistol has a richly browned Damascus patterned barrel and a frame that is richly and deeply engraved with chiseled foliate scrolls and themes. The frame was left in the white and contrast was created by blackening the relived portions of the engraving. The top of the receiver and bottom are engraved with equal quality and the serial number 3149 is present on the bottom of the frame, just behind the barrel release. The only other markings are either internal or concealed and these include the FF maker mark of Ferdinand Früwirth on the upper face of the inner right side of the frame, the last two digits of the serial number, 49, on the upper face of the locking lug inside the frame and a raised {Austrian Double-Headed Eagle} in a depressed oval under the barrel, concealed by the release lever. This mark, which is commonly found on Austrian military arms to indicate royal (government) ownership, may well indicate that this gun was made for a member of the Austrian royal family or their household. The quality of the work and the engraving certainly suggests the gun was made for a very wealthy client. In addition to the fine browned Damascus barrel and relief engraved frame, the pistol is enhanced with a lovely one-piece smooth ivory bag shaped grip.

 

This absolutely gorgeous pocket pistol remains in VERY FINE condition. The barrel retains about 92%+ of the original brown, which is thinning and shows some light wear and minor loss along the points of contact and where is has been handled. The engraved frame remains crisp with clear, sharp engraving. The action of the pistol works perfectly with the hidden trigger deploying as it should when the hammer is cocked and returning to its concealed location when the pistol is fired. The barrel locking mechanism works perfectly as well. It functions smoothly and locks up tightly. The bore of the pistol is in FINE condition as well with the 14-groove rifling remaining crisp and clear. The bore is mostly bright with some scattered oxidation and frosting as well as some very lightly scattered pinpricking. The smooth ivory grip has a wonderful rich cream patina with some darker swirls tending towards a golden brown. Amazingly for a mid-19th century piece of ivory the grip has escaped any significant damage or chipping. It shows only a couple of minor tight grain cracks that are not separated or structural. It also shows a minor flaw at the lower rear of the butt that adds patterning to the ivory but shows no loss or damage. Overall, the entire pistol is crisp and sharp without any defects or deficiencies worthy of comment.

 

While this is a little outside my typical range of inventory that tends to concentrate on military arms, this is simply an exceptional little Austrian pocket pistol with tons of finish and condition and that displays wonderfully. It also fits in well with my love for European arms of the period, particularly Austrian guns. This would be a wonderful addition to any advanced collection of mid-19th century European arms particularly pocket pistols. It would be a nice addition to a pinfire collection as well, or any collection of Austrian guns from the mid-19th century.


SOLD

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Tags: Beautiful, Engraved, and, Ivory, Gripped, Austrian, Pinfire, Pocket, Pistol, by, Ferdinand, Früwirth