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Wheellock Rifle by Marcus Zelner
- This exceptional wheelock target rifle was crafted by Viennese Imperial gunsmith Marcus Zelner
- Crafted of the finest materials, it boasts intricate details that depict the splendor of nature
- Zelner produced exceptional firearms commissioned by the courts of Vienna and Liechtenstein
- The matching pair, and only other known example, resides in the Medeiros e Almeida Museum in Lisbon
- Get complete item description here
$74,500
Item No.
31-6960
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Description
This ceremonial firearm crafted by Marcus Zelner Wein, the renowned gunsmith of the Viennese Imperial Court, is truly a masterpiece fit for the highest royal hunting or military honors. Its design follows the favored Viennese crown style, boasting intricate details that depict the splendor of nature. The iron chiseled lockplate showcases a hunting scene and a touching image of a woman with a child feeding a bird. Adding to its opulence, a chiseled gilt brass. . .
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This ceremonial firearm crafted by Marcus Zelner Wein, the renowned gunsmith of the Viennese Imperial Court, is truly a masterpiece fit for the highest royal hunting or military honors. Its design follows the favored Viennese crown style, boasting intricate details that depict the splendor of nature. The iron chiseled lockplate showcases a hunting scene and a touching image of a woman with a child feeding a bird. Adding to its opulence, a chiseled gilt brass side plate further enhances the firearm's beauty. The barrel is adorned with a gilt signature and exquisite foliate scrolls, while the walnut mounts feature ornate chiseled gilt brass ornaments. Without a doubt, the stunning firearm is among the greatest in 18th-century firearms craftsmanship.
Marcus Zelner was an Austrian gunmaker born in Salzburg in 1693, belonging to a prominent dynasty of gunmakers. To become a master gunsmith, the gunmakers guild of Vienna required submission of their finest innovation: the improved wheelock firearm produced entirely by the gunmaker’s own hand. Zelner accomplished this feat in 1726. He set up his own workshop and married the daughter of Felix Meier, the most important gunsmith of Viennese courts.
Zelner produced exceptional firearms commissioned by the courts of Vienna and Liechtenstein. One of his earliest and finest preserved wheelock rifles is now on display at Vaduz Castle in the Liechtenstein Collection of Arms, and was exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1985 exhibition Firearms from the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein. The matching pair to our rifle, the only known other known model of its kind, resides in the permanent collection of the Medeiros e Almeida Museum in Lisbon, Portugal.
This wheelock rifle is pictured in Joana Ferreira's "Mosquetes de roda" in Peça em destaque, published 2022, on page 10.
Signed "MARCUS ZELNER IN WIENN"
Circa 1730-1740
8 3/8" high x 44 1/8" length x 3 1/8" deep
Literature:
Joana Ferreira. “Mosquetes de roda” in Peça em destaque, Museu Medeiros e Almeida, Sept. 2022, p.10.
Marcus Zelner was an Austrian gunmaker born in Salzburg in 1693, belonging to a prominent dynasty of gunmakers. To become a master gunsmith, the gunmakers guild of Vienna required submission of their finest innovation: the improved wheelock firearm produced entirely by the gunmaker’s own hand. Zelner accomplished this feat in 1726. He set up his own workshop and married the daughter of Felix Meier, the most important gunsmith of Viennese courts.
Zelner produced exceptional firearms commissioned by the courts of Vienna and Liechtenstein. One of his earliest and finest preserved wheelock rifles is now on display at Vaduz Castle in the Liechtenstein Collection of Arms, and was exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1985 exhibition Firearms from the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein. The matching pair to our rifle, the only known other known model of its kind, resides in the permanent collection of the Medeiros e Almeida Museum in Lisbon, Portugal.
This wheelock rifle is pictured in Joana Ferreira's "Mosquetes de roda" in Peça em destaque, published 2022, on page 10.
Signed "MARCUS ZELNER IN WIENN"
Circa 1730-1740
8 3/8" high x 44 1/8" length x 3 1/8" deep
Literature:
Joana Ferreira. “Mosquetes de roda” in Peça em destaque, Museu Medeiros e Almeida, Sept. 2022, p.10.
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Specifications
| Period: | 18th Century |
| Type: | Arms and Armor |
| Depth: | 3.13 in. (7.94 cm) |
| Width: | 44.13 in. (112.08 cm) |
| Height: | 8.38 in. (21.27 cm) |
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Read MoreBuy With Confidence
For over a century, we've placed important art, rare jewels and exceptional objects with more than 14,000 collectors worldwide, and have been recognized by trusted publications including Robb Report, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more.
On Approval
Examine select works in person before you commit
125% Guarantee
Full credit plus 5% annual appreciation for five years
Trusted Expertise
Over two centuries of combined experience across our specialists
