A D.B. Percussion Cape Rifle

A D.B. Percussion Cape Rifle By John Hayton, Grahams Town, No. 4078, Mid-19th Century With rebrowned twist barrels with four reblued folding leaf-sights each with central platinum line, broad twist rib signed in full, serial numbered at the breeches and calibrated in inches from '1' to '20' forward of the leaf-sights, the right barrel smooth and of 15-bore, the left barrel rifled for a belted ball and of 39-bore, breeches each engraved with a flower-head on the side and with a prone tiger in a landscape on the flat between, long foliate scroll engraved tang, signed border engraved detented flat locks decorated with scrolling foliage and a gundog in a landscape within an oval on the left lock, and with a prone stag in a landscape on the other, foliate scroll engraved dolphin hammers (one nose chipped), figured half-stock serial numbered beneath the barrels, rechequered grip and fore-end, foliate scroll engraved steel mounts comprising butt-plate and trigger-guard, the latter with two gundogs in a landscape on the bow, trigger-plate and rear ramrod-pipe finials each engraved with a design of looped scrollwork, hinged circular border engraved patch-box cover decorated with a running antelope in a landscape, vacant shield-shaped white-metal escutcheon, and later brass-mounted ramrod, London proof marks 75 cm. barrels Footnotes: Provenance Sold in these Rooms, Antique Arms and Armour, 23 April 2008, lot 358 For more information on John Hayton, famous as the designer of the Hayton or 'Cape' rifle, see Barry M. Berkovitch, The Cape Gunsmith, 1976, pp. 74-82 For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing