(Sold) Munich Royal Workshop Wheelock Pistol by Caspar Spat Circa About 1650
Munich Royal Workshop Wheelock Pistol by Caspar Spat Circa About 1650. This recently discovered crown jewel of arms collecting remains in fine unaltered original configuration with full length barrel and near fine overall condition. Only about half a dozen Caspar Spat wheelock pistols are retained in private collections in the entire United States. I have brokered four including this example in my 56 plus year career and find this example to have the most pleasing and outstanding form aesthetically. The subject pistol measures 23 inches overall with a 16 inch barrel and is extremely graceful and sleek in its design. Caspar Spat to his credit eliminated bulky and over-thick proportions in the elegant design of this wheelock.
The steel work is magnificent as would be expected from this workshop and shows figure of man emptying a cornucopia which envelopes the scroll design on the lock. The barrel is decorated in three stages matching to these scrolls and florals which are carried throughout the artwork showing on the trigger guard, ramrod pipes, butt plate, and screws.
Another example of a Caspar Spat pistol is pictured on page 137 of decorated firearms featuring the Clay Bedford collection. This particular pistol was purchased by me from Tom Lewis in the 1990’s for a sum of over $250,000. The decoration on this pistol is slightly fancier but it’s well known that the barrel was reduced in length about six inches. Also a pair of Caspar Spat wheelock pistols from the Herbert Ratner collection are pictured on the cover of May 1977 Gun Report Magazine. I purchased this set for $600,000 in the 1990’s and to my knowledge they are the only pair in private hands and are the most ornately decorated.
In conclusion I feel this particular pistol is a screaming bargain at $125,000 and though not quite as fancy as the three other examples previously mentioned in this text, I prefer the form and aesthetics of this example as it is truly elegant and worthy of inclusion in any sophisticated collection or advanced museum display of great early European metal work and firearms. Priced very fairly at $125,000.
Munich Royal Workshop Wheelock Pistol by Caspar Spat Circa About 1650. This recently discovered crown jewel of arms collecting remains in fine unaltered original configuration with full length barrel and near fine overall condition. Only about half a dozen Caspar Spat wheelock pistols are retained in private collections in the entire United States. I have brokered four including this example in my 56 plus year career and find this example to have the most pleasing and outstanding form aesthetically. The subject pistol measures 23 inches overall with a 16 inch barrel and is extremely graceful and sleek in its design. Caspar Spat to his credit eliminated bulky and over-thick proportions in the elegant design of this wheelock.
The steel work is magnificent as would be expected from this workshop and shows figure of man emptying a cornucopia which envelopes the scroll design on the lock. The barrel is decorated in three stages matching to these scrolls and florals which are carried throughout the artwork showing on the trigger guard, ramrod pipes, butt plate, and screws.
Another example of a Caspar Spat pistol is pictured on page 137 of decorated firearms featuring the Clay Bedford collection. This particular pistol was purchased by me from Tom Lewis in the 1990’s for a sum of over $250,000. The decoration on this pistol is slightly fancier but it’s well known that the barrel was reduced in length about six inches. Also a pair of Caspar Spat wheelock pistols from the Herbert Ratner collection are pictured on the cover of May 1977 Gun Report Magazine. I purchased this set for $600,000 in the 1990’s and to my knowledge they are the only pair in private hands and are the most ornately decorated.
In conclusion I feel this particular pistol is a screaming bargain at $125,000 and though not quite as fancy as the three other examples previously mentioned in this text, I prefer the form and aesthetics of this example as it is truly elegant and worthy of inclusion in any sophisticated collection or advanced museum display of great early European metal work and firearms. Priced very fairly at $125,000.
Munich Royal Workshop Wheelock Pistol by Caspar Spat Circa About 1650. This recently discovered crown jewel of arms collecting remains in fine unaltered original configuration with full length barrel and near fine overall condition. Only about half a dozen Caspar Spat wheelock pistols are retained in private collections in the entire United States. I have brokered four including this example in my 56 plus year career and find this example to have the most pleasing and outstanding form aesthetically. The subject pistol measures 23 inches overall with a 16 inch barrel and is extremely graceful and sleek in its design. Caspar Spat to his credit eliminated bulky and over-thick proportions in the elegant design of this wheelock.
The steel work is magnificent as would be expected from this workshop and shows figure of man emptying a cornucopia which envelopes the scroll design on the lock. The barrel is decorated in three stages matching to these scrolls and florals which are carried throughout the artwork showing on the trigger guard, ramrod pipes, butt plate, and screws.
Another example of a Caspar Spat pistol is pictured on page 137 of decorated firearms featuring the Clay Bedford collection. This particular pistol was purchased by me from Tom Lewis in the 1990’s for a sum of over $250,000. The decoration on this pistol is slightly fancier but it’s well known that the barrel was reduced in length about six inches. Also a pair of Caspar Spat wheelock pistols from the Herbert Ratner collection are pictured on the cover of May 1977 Gun Report Magazine. I purchased this set for $600,000 in the 1990’s and to my knowledge they are the only pair in private hands and are the most ornately decorated.
In conclusion I feel this particular pistol is a screaming bargain at $125,000 and though not quite as fancy as the three other examples previously mentioned in this text, I prefer the form and aesthetics of this example as it is truly elegant and worthy of inclusion in any sophisticated collection or advanced museum display of great early European metal work and firearms. Priced very fairly at $125,000.