Boyliya with Albanian lock

[qusko]

Hi,

Has anyone saw similar pistols/muskets with chiseled barrels and can share more about them?

[rickystl]

Hi Gusko

Somehow, I missed your latest addition to this Thread. Glad I found it.

Your latest photos starting with Post #10: This appears to be another Boyliya styled musket generally. I say this due to the overall shape of the stock.
LOCK: Here again is the very popular Balkan style lock utilized with many different guns during this period. But yes, unusual to see the brass overlay on this style of lock. Unlike the Bulgarian style lock I posted above, in which brass overlay decoration seemed to be the norm, and more typically utilized with most of the Boyliya styled muskets I've seen. Also note on the Balkan lock it has the top edge of the frizzen come to a point like the Bulgarian lock. Both the overlay and frizzen just being a slight variation from the locksmith.
BARREL: WOW!! What a beautiful barrel indeed. Off hand, I can't recall seeing a musket barrel chisiled the intire length of the barrel - uninterupted. Very cool. Imagine how long it would have taken to accomplish.
PISTOL LOCK: You could almost guess that the chisiling on the Boyliya barrel, and the lock on the pistol, were both done in the same shop. LOL

While none of these guns are exactly identical (unless made as a pair of pistols), there does seem to be certain styling characteristics that were popular with a variety of customers accross different regions of the Empire.
Thus the similarity of the chisiling on the musket barrel and the pistol lock.

Rick

[Rick]

Originally Posted by qusko

Hi,

Has anyone saw similar pistols/muskets with chiseled barrels and can share more about them?

Yes, I have one, looks like it came from the same maker judging from the barrel designs.

[rickystl]

Good example Rick. Note the style of chisiling/engraving on both the barrel and lock are fairly consistant, and likely done by the same artist.
While we know their were many gun shops throughout the Balkans, there does seem to be some styling cues that were very popular. Notice much of the decoration was done in a generic fashion. I assume to attract the largest volumn of prospective buyers without offending any religious sensabilities.
You do see this full length pattern chisiling/engraving more on pistol barrels than on musket barrels. The musket barrels tend to do something like maybe heavy chisiling at the breech, then traveling down the barrel turn to plain, or lighter engraving, then maybe back to heavier chisiling towards the muzzle end.
I'm sure there are others, but the OP's barrel on Post #10 is the first musket length barrel I've seen with the same, consistant pattern of chisiling it's entire length. I also wonder if there is a possible Greek influence/ownership with relation to the barrel decoration since the Greeks seemed especially fond of using human figures and masks on their gun barrels.

Here is an Ottoman blunderbuss pistol with heavy chisil work at the breech only, but matching with the chisil work on the lock. Likely done by the same artisit using cannons and columns.

Rick