Beschreibung:

A VERY FINE FRENCH 15-BORE D.B. BREECH-LOADING SHOTGUN OF EXHIBITION QUALITY BY BERINGER, PARIS, NO. 10923, DATED 1858 With browned twist dated barrels each encrusted with gold vine-leaves and tendrils at the muzzle and breech, those on the breech inhabited by birds, the rib signed in encrusted gold letters between gold lines and further gold-encrusted vine leaves and tendrils, and chiselled en suite in low relief at the breech between the two spring-loaded strikers, the underside of the breeches stamped with the marks of the barrelsmith Léopold Bernard of Paris ( Neue Støckel 1233-4) and the right barrel with his signature as well, case-hardened matt-grey back-strap chiselled in low relief on a punched ground with running vines and a woodcock in flight, case-hardened matt-grey back-action locks each signed on a ribbon and finely chiselled in high relief on a punched ground with differing designs of further vines inhabited by a stag on the right lock, and a dog and a rabbit on the left, the hammers each with a differing design en suite, each involving hanging game (a partridge and a pheasant respectively), signed case-hardened action en suite, the chiselled decoration on the underside involving an eagle taking a rabbit, case-hardened trigger-guard chiselled with further vines, the head of Diana wearing a stag's antlers, a central circular cartouche charged with a gold-encrusted monogram within a border of gold-encrusted dots, a seated greyhound, and on the scrolled tang a serpent, finely figured French polished walnut stock (butt and fore-end bruised), case-hardened trigger-plate chiselled en suite in low relief and signed by Louis Penel, the decorator, border engraved case-hardened butt-plate with hinged cover for the butt-trap, the tang with high relief chiselling involving two squirrels, short bar-in-wood fore-end mounted in chiselled iron with a wolf in high relief on the tip, the bolt with chiselled head, sling mounts each held in the mounth of an animal-head chiselled in the round, and most of its original finish 32in. barrels