This distinctive rifle is one of a group of small caliber wheellock rifles with the mechanism situated on the outside of the lock plate from in and around Teschen, Silesia, in present day Poland in the mid-17th century. They are believed to have been made for hunting birds and other small game and are generally incredibly ornate leading to examples being purchased for and displayed in a number of prestigious art museums in the U.S. and Europe. The swamped barrel has six-groove rifling, a dovetailed brass blade front sight, a dovetailed iron notch rear sight, and an iron tang that extends down the wrist. The dog has floral engraving. The finger groove trigger guard is iron. The stock features extensive staghorn/bone inlays in a wide variety of patterns including both animals such as squirrels, stags, and bears along with mythical creatures such as the unicorn featured on the bottom flat. A hunter and soldier are among the designs on the butt, and the buttplate is engraved with a scene of an eagle with a snake in its beak. Includes an Academic Arms Center of America certificate of weapon authenticity signed by F. Theodore D. Dexter dated May 1, 1958. Provenance: The William Randolph Hearst Collection; The W. Keith Neal Collection; The Norman R. Blank Collection

Very fine with gray and brown patina on the iron, and general mild wear. The stock is also very fine and features mostly crisp engraving on the numerous inlays, some faint cracks, bent heel button, and small piece of the buttplate absent. Lock not tested. A beautiful piece of mid-17th century firearm with prestigious provenance worthy of being put proudly on display.