A French 22-Bore Flintlock Silver-Mounted D.B. Sporting GunBy Portie, Orleans, Provincial Silver Marks, Dated 1776With two-stage barrels retaining traces of gilding at the starburst around the silver fore-sight and at the turned girdles, octagonal breeches becoming polygonal and engraved with flowering foliage (refreshed) retaining faint traces of gilding, the rib decorated en suite and signed in gold-inlaid capitals, the underside of the breeches engraved 'Merley Berlier' and stamped with a heron mark, and stamped 'TORDU' with a fleur-de-lys mark respectively, dated deeply grooved border engraved tang partly engraved with foliage against a punched and gilt ground, signed border engraved rounded locks (top jaws and screws replaced), steels each engraved with a frond, figured moulded half-stock carved with foliage in relief on the fore-end (old splits) and behind the barrel tang, the comb of the butt with leather-covered cheek-pad, mounts cast and chased in relief against finely punched grounds retaining some original gilding, and comprising butt-plate of shaped outline decorated with flowering foliage and involving a stag hunting trophy on the heel tang, crowned vacant trophy of arms escutcheon, trigger-guard with scrolled tang and decorated with a sporting trophy hung from a ribbon on the bow, the finial with flowering foliage, spirally-grooved ramrod-pipes, the near one (expertly replaced) with terminal en suite with the trigger-guard finial, sling loops, and later silver-tipped ramrod (some wear overall) 81 cm. barrelsFootnotes:LiteratureJean-Jacques Buigné and Pierre Jarlier, Le ''Qui est qui'' de l'arme en France de 1350' à 1970, Vol. I, 2001, p. 329