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Old 16th January 2022, 06:28 PM   #17
rickystl
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: St. Louis, MO area.
Posts: 1,621
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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
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