Extremely Rare And Desirable 18th Century Decorated Long Chinese Matchlock Musket With Period Painted Stock

52 inch octagonal to round smoothbore barrel. 62 caliber. The barrel of excellent quality with rich chocolate brown patina. The flashgun delicately filed. High arching characteristic Chinese iron serpent. Iron trigger operates sear matchlock mechanism.

Lacquered wood fullstock decorated throughout with stylized dragons in reds, and dark greens. Bone fore-end cap. Sharply curved Chinese butt inlaid on both sides with 5 petal flower.

This magnificent musket is not a later tourist copy but a genuine 18th excessively rare Chinese sear matchlock. A similar matchlock with carved cinnabar lacquer stock was sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for nearly $500,000.00.

Though showing some wear as befits its age this musket remains in overall good condition. Almost never offered for sale this represents a wonderful opportunity for the collectors of exotic matchlocks.