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Friday, November 21, 2014

PISTOLS FROM THE LAST INVASION OF BRITAIN AND ROTHSCHILD PISTOLS HIDDEN FROM THE NAZIS FOR SALE AT BONHAMS Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates

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A magnificent pair of Brescian flintlock holster pistols made by Pietro Manani, circa 1660-70 will be sold at Bonhams Antique Arms and Armour sale in Knightsbridge on November 26th for an estimated £60,000 to £80,000.

The 350-year-old pistols were in the Rothschild family’s collection in Austria until 1939 when they were seized together with many other works of art by the Third Reich and stored in salt mines during the war. They were then repatriated to the Austrian state museums where they remained until 1999 when they were returned to the family.

The pistols are remarkable for the fineness of their chiselled decoration which includes bearded grotesque masks, monkeys playing cornetts and diverse monsters.

The pistols come from the collection of the Barons Nathaniel and Albert von Rothschild and were subsequently owned by Barons Louis and Alphonse von Rothschild, the children of Baron Albert von Rothschild.

Scholastic opinion differs on the length of Pietro Manani's working life (variously 1610-1720), and it is possible that there were two, father and son. Nolfo di Carpegna lists him as 'one of the most active craftsmen of his time', and records thirty-eight known examples of his work.

The history of the Rothschild family is only surpassed by dynasties like the Habsburgs and the Bourbons for their pan-European nature. In the family’s heyday – the mid 19th century – they were unrivalled. A painting by Jean-Marc Winckler shows 42 of the main family homes indicating the extent of their estates. And within those palaces was housed one of the greatest art collections ever assembled by one family.

PISTOLS WHICH WERE AT THE BATTLE OF FISHGUARD, 'THE LAST INVASION OF BRITAIN' FOR SALE AT BONHAMS

The sale also features a pair of pistols once owned by Lieutenant Colonel John Colby (1751-1823) of the Pembrokeshire Militia and Governor of Haverfordwest Castle at the time of the last invasion, now known as the Battle of Fishguard.

His cased pair of 40-bore percussion duelling pistols by D. Egg, London, circa 1795 is estimated to sell for £3,500 to £4,500. The brief campaign in which these pistols featured involved a military invasion of Great Britain by Revolutionary France during the War of the First Coalition and took place between 22 and 24 February 1797

After landing 1,400 troops and securing a number of farmhouses inland the French forces were bluffed into believing they faced superior numbers and accepted unconditional surrender. The invasion was the plan of General Lazare Hoche, who devised a three-pronged attack on Britain in support of Irish Republicans under Wolfe Tone.




Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge, Oxford and Edinburgh; in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in Sydney, Australia. Bonhams also has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.

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