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Originally Posted by fernando
But while Lavin admits that he lists in his work 110 smiths, he reminds that Støckel doubles that, although in may cases unable to indicate either the place or the smith's activity period.
An Italian smith using the Spanish marking type ? possible ... but, i have it for me that, this could be a less publicized Spanish smith; .
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Fernando, you raise some interesting points for discussion.
A. The photo of the maker's punzón is quite clear as to the lettering except for some defacement on the penultimate line. Taking DAR ... ANO and checking the listing in Stöckel reveals no such combination, no matter what letters may fall in between. As you suggest, it may reflect the name of an obscure maker. And it may be that there's more work to be done in documenting all those Iberian gunsmiths whose names have not appeared in the published references to date. As a small example, over a year ago I purchased a very fine Eibar-made shotgun, ca 1790s, signed on lock and marked on barrel by a maker with a very unusual surname - Murúa. No mention of him in Lavin, Neal, or Stöckel. At first I even doubted it was Spanish, and only after checking the US Census Dept's list of Spanish surnames was able to verify that indeed it was.
Furthermore, there is no requirement that we take the 3-letter combinations in Oliver's photo at face value. If you would re-read Lavin pp 214-215 he explains that these can be quite cryptic, including abbreviations, using non-standard spellings, or even incorporating place names.
B. I do believe that although the identity of the maker is a mystery at this moment, I can recognize certain stylistic elements that point to this shotgun originating in the Eibar area (foothills of the western Pyrenees adjacent to the Bay of Biscay, where Spain's sporting arms industry is centered even today). The boot-shaped "Catalan"style buttstock was popular here, as was a half stock barrel mounting with a single capucine on the abbreviated forestock. Also, the cock jaws on locks made in this region are long and slender, a conservative feature harking back to the 17th century but remaining in vogue through the end of the 18th. This basic format (albeit minus the rather garish stock inlays) can be seen on an Eibar fowling piece of restrained elegance but of the highest quality in the Metropolitan Museum of Art acc. no. 16.135, bearing the marks of Antonio Guisasola (barrel) and Juan Navarro (lock). The Murúa shotgun in my collection shares the same design.
C. The Spanish format of barrel breech markings was used in Italy - specifically Naples, which is not unexpected considering that this city was the seat of Spanish rule over the southern half of Italy which lasted for centuries. The familiar features that we associate with Spanish markings: the cross upon the arched base, the fleurs-de-lys, punzones and heraldic seals, are present.