Fine 19th Century Antique North African Moukhala Snaphance Lock Gun

The lock is an African made copy of a Dutch snaphance. The plate, 20 cm long is of considerable thickness and is shaped with a decorative finial at the tail and a simple point at the front. Screwed to it is a long deep gutter shaped pan whose outer end is closed by a thick iron disc having its outer face covered in sheet silver. The flat-faced cock has a prolonged tail that engages with the nose of the horizontal sear where it protrudes through the plate and is arrested by a buffer screwed to the plate. The square frizzen is operated on by a spring whose outer edges are filed to a waved shape. The rod that links the tumbler with the pan cover is missing. The lock is fastened to the stock by three dome headed screws
There is a circular makers mark stamped on the outside of the lockplate below the buffer.

A most similar example in the Royal Armouries collection was made by tradition for the Viceroy of Tetuan, Morocco in the early 19th century

At present in the Leeds Armoury, Asian and African Gallery.

In inlaid silver there is an Islamic inscription that 'may' translate to "Allah (God) is sufficient for me, and He is the best disposer of affairs." (Alternatively: "Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.")
This phrase comes directly from the Quran (Surah Ali 'Imran, 3:173). Inscriptions of this form are notoriously difficult to interpret.

حسبي الله ونعم الوكيل

This type of flared butt is typical of Tetuan, see A C Tirri, Islamic weapons, Maghrib to Moghul, 2003, fig. 2. A7.722 centre gun.
These are often called Kabyle rifles.

Code: 26427