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"THE PHOENIX GUN"
A MAGNIFICENT MALCOLM APPLEBY-ENGRAVED 12-BORE SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR GUN, NO. 7420
28-inch chopper-lump barrels with 2 3/4-inch chambers, about full choke borings, the tubes signed beneath the fore-end, 'M. Appleby, Engraver' and 'M Lingard, Gunmaker', the breeches and rib with fine feather details, the frame and locks engraved in typical Appleby style with flowing plumage, talons and highly detailed stylised themes around the mythical phoenix, the trigger plate with golden flames, the action base with beak and eyes, the fences carved in a similar manner, the safety catch with further golden flame detail, gold lined cocking indicators, 14 3/4-inch highly figured stock, 6lb. 10oz., nitro proof
S2
The gun retains all of its original finish and appears virtually unused.
Artist Resale Right applicable on the hammer price.
Other Appleby commissions included "The Scottish Lace Gun", "The Woodcock Gun", "The Raven Gun" (for the Royal Armouries) and "The Pike Gun" (sold at Sotheby's, Gleneagles in 1994). "I have always had my own ideas a about how a gun should be engraved, so that the engraving is in harmony with the colour and the form and the use of the gun. The concept gradually developed in my mind until the late 1970s and it was not until 1980 that I could afford to purchase guns 'in the white' to engrave and so be free of the gunmakers' influences. The first to be engraved in 1981 was a sidelock by John Wilkes which was engraved with woodcock feathers. The first gun actually finished was "The Crocodile Gun", a round action by David McKay Brown, followed by "The Pike Gun", which was engraved with fish scales, and then "The Raven Gun" for the Royal Armouries. These guns form a series of surface textured decoration that naturally blends with the form of the gun so that the artist's work does not dominate the total object. Careful attention to each part of the gun was taken, sometimes subtly reforming a lever to remove sharp points.
Malcolm Appleby was born in West Wickham in 1946. He trained at Beckenham School of Art, Ravensbourne College of Art, Central School of Arts and Crafts, Sir John Cass School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He started his career as an engraver in 1969, developing new techniques for silver engraving and gold fusing on to steel. Malcolm Appleby is now the foremost gun engraver in the United Kingdom and his famous "Raven Gun" is housed in the Royal Armouries. His many commissions include the engraving of the orb on the Prince of Wales coronet, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes Trophy for De Beers, the 500th Anniversary silver cup for the London Assay Office and major silver cmmn (cup and cover) for the Royal Museum of Scotland. Malcolm Appleby made the seal for the Victoria and Albert Museum and was commissioned to make the silver centrepiece for the New Scottish Parliament. He also has examples of his work in many collections throughout the world. Malcolm Appleby was a member and past Chairman of the Crathes, Drumoak and Durris Community Council and is founder member and chairman of the British Art Postage Stamp Society and a member of the British Art Medal Society and Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Malcolm Appleby is a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths' Company and an honorary member of the Strathtay and Grandtully SWRI.
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| Fine Modern and Vintage Sporting Guns |
| The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland |
| 27 August 2018 |
| Commission is 25% ex. VAT. Artist's Resale Right may apply |
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