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Originally Posted by spiral
Translates to { I presume. If I may be so presumptuous  } , it normal in some parts of the modern commercial market for these to be old barrels & locks to be installed in brand new woodwork & brass work to relieve collectors of there hard earned {or inherited...} money.
Unless sold as modern rebuild using old barrel & lock...{ the wood worm & damp has eaten the stock while it was left rotting in a palace or armoury cellar for 150 years...}
Namaste Ibrahim! ! Its interesting you ay these wall guns were used in the early 20th century? What references are there for the 20th century use?
spiral |
Salaams spiral, I aim off somewhat from the mid 19th C use of such weapons and arrived at a slightly later date...If I am more precise it may be seen as used up to the mid 19th though I cannot be absolutely certain...the following may be a closer spot date for its latest use...though no doubt some were used later and perhaps in the provinces by locals etc...That is why I give the mid 19C a little air...and arrived at what I consider as a reasonable early 20th C final resting place ..
Quote"Summary:
Indian matchlock musket or Toradar.
One of a collection of weapons seized from mutineers during the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859), and subsequently donated to the Melbourne Public Library in 1860 by Earl Charles Canning, Governor-General of India.
Description:
Cal. .625 in., smooth bore barrel 1054 mm long, ornamental grooves.
Pan on right hand side, V notch rear sight.
Fully stocked, secured to barrel by 5 bands, ramrod missing, iron trigger & 2 sling swivels. Straight stock with ornamental brass mounts, serpentine protrudes from piece of shaped bone attached to top of stock.
Statement Of Significance:
This is one of 287 weapons and associated items from the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859), donated to the Melbourne Public Library in 1860 by Earl Charles Canning, Governor-General of India. The weapons had been seized from the Indian mutineers by British troops during the course of the mutiny.
The donation was in response to a suggestion by Redmond Barry, Chairman of Trustees, that a letter be sent to Sir Henry Barkly, Governor of Victoria, requesting him to write to the Governor-General of India. The letter to Barkly, dated 9 May 1859, noted that 'such objects placed in the Museum attached to the Library would afford interesting illustration of oriental national customs and peculiarities.'
The weapons were also war booty, signifying the relief of Victorians that their fellow colonists in India were once more safe. Many Victorian colonists (including Barry) had relatives in the British army and administration in India, had anxiously followed the bulletins of the Indian Mutiny in the newspapers, and raised funds locally to aid the cause. Some of the weapons were displayed in the main stairwell of the Library, alongside Australian Aboriginal weapons. Here they became symbols of the defeat of local peoples as the British Empire expanded around the globe.
The collection was subsequently transferred to the National Gallery of Victoria, and thence in parts to the Industrial & Technological Museum during the early decades of the twentieth century. At each stage in its history, the collection has been gradually reduced in size through items being presented or disposed of.
Acquisition Information:
Donation & Subsequent Transfer from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), 1860
Discipline: Technology
Dimensions: 155.5 cm (Length)"Unquote.
It may be worth considering that in the 2nd Afghan war 1878 ...1880 the Afghan style of Torador was used against the British as illustrated on
http://www.nam.ac.uk/online-collecti...cc=1966-10-9-1
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.