Pair of Flintlock Dueling Pistols of a member of the Tollemache family, with Case and Accessories

These presentation-quality silver-mounted dueling pistols rank among the most elaborately decorated and well-preserved firearms produced in London during the late eighteenth century. Made by John Manton (1752–1834), one of the preeminent London gunmakers of the period, the pistols unite his skill as a gunmaker with the talents of the silversmith Michael Barnett (1758–ca. 1823), who fashioned the pair's lavish mounts. Cast and chased in low relief, the Britannia silver furniture is among the most opulent found on any British firearm.


The set likely originally belonged to Lionel Tollemache, 5th Earl of Dysart (1734–99) or his younger brother Wilbraham Tollemache, 6th Earl of Dysart (1739–1821). The Tollemache family owned several major estates, including Helmingham Hall in Suffolk and Ham House in southwest London, one of the grandest Stuart houses in England famous since the seventeenth century for its collections of paintings and furniture, as well as its library and gardens.