LONDON.- An important private collection largely formed in the third quarter of the 20th century will highlight Thomas Del Mar Ltd’s sale of Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at Olympia Auctions, 25 Blythe Road, London W14 at 12noon. Viewing will take place on the preceding Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and online bidding is available via the-saleroom.com, invaluable.com, and the new online bidding platform, Olympia Live at olympiaauctions.com. The collection comprises more than 150 lots.

Thomas Del Mar has a strong reputation for offering prestigious collections in his sales. As he comments: “As the outline above shows the 10th July auction offers a broad range of lots with a number of notable pieces in excellent condition. The sale has particular strength in English firearms and Asian arms and armour. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the pre-sale exhibition which opens on Sunday 7th July at noon.”

There is a strong section of objects that have been made in England and Ireland. A fine pair of 12-bore Irish silver-mounted carriage pistols by William and John Rigby of Dublin is estimated at £12,000-15,000. Elsewhere a fine pair of 40-bore percussion duelling pistols by James Wilkinson & Son of Pall Mall, London, carrying the crest and motto of John Walmesley of Lucknam Park, Wiltshire, which is expected to fetch £8,000-10,000, and a fine cased pair of 40-bore 6-shot percussion pepperbox revolvers by Birmingham-maker Westley Richards, dating from 1850 is estimated at £12,000-15,000.

A fine Spanish pair of 18 bore percussion pistols and a 16 bore percussion shotgun, dated 1854 by Jose Domingo Arano is estimated by £9,000-13,000; while a 120-bore Silesian wheellock birding gun (tschinke), from the mid-17th century - decorated with foliage, mythical beasts and birds is estimated to fetch £7,000-9,000. A fine French sporting gun by Pirmet à Paris, decorated with gilt flowers and engraved with griffins and foliage carries a similar estimate and a pair of 40-bore French percussion rifled target pistols of presentation quality by Devisme à Paris, dated 1853 carry an estimate of £12,000-18,000.

There are several items with connections to India. Included is a fine Royal cased pair of 20-bore Howdah pistols, made for Takhat Singh, Maharaja of Jodhpur (1843-73) and presented to his son, Kanwar Shri Jaswant Singh II, by London –maker Charles Lancaster. The Lancaster records state that these pistols (nos. 3637 and 3638) were made in 1862 for the Maharaja of Jodhpur. During this and the preceding year the Maharaja bought no less than fourteen firearms from Lancaster. The inscription on the barrels records their ownership by his son, and successor as Maharaja, Kanwar Shri Jaswant Singh II (1838-95). They are estimated at £25,000-30,000. Elsewhere, a mid 19th- century Indian sword, decorated with exotic birds and believed to have been made in Lucknow – famous for its enamel is estimated at £5,000-7,000, while a fine dagger set with gems, dating from the late 18th/ 19th century and carved with lotus flowers is expected to fetch £4,000-6,000.

From Turkey is a fine 12bore musket, dating from circa 1821 and profusely inlaid with engraved plaques of silver, brass and two colours of gold, which carry an estimate of £10,000-15,000, a fine pair of 32-bore silver mounted Caucasian pistols from the 3rd quarter of the 19th century chased with panels of flowers carries an estimate of £7,000-10,000 and a fine early 19th century pair of Greek 20-bore flintlock holster pistols decorated with foliage in relief including an exotic bird feeding on a flower's nectar is expected to fetch £4,000-5,000.

From Asia – a 17th/ 18th century Japanese iron helmet with a flower-shaped finial is estimated at £4,000-6,000 and a fine and rare decorated Tibetan saddle, of a similar date formed of a wooden tree joined by later leather thongs, and decorated with openwork designs of scrolling foliage and billowing clouds inhabited by dragons carries an estimate of £7,000-9,000. Also equine-related is an early 16th century Ottoman shaffron (head defence) which is estimated at £8,000-12,000.

There is also an intriguing collection of miniature items such as a group of eight miniature firearms dating from the 20th century, which are expected to fetch £1,500-2,000, while a cased finely constructed miniature wheel-lock pistol in the late 16th century style is estimated at £700-1,000.