Joe Wood has it spot on - the baroque style is exactly that - stylised, rather than lifelike - this was Holland's very top of the range at the time and the engraver would have been Top Boy.

I sold one in 16-bore a few years back, it had been made for a princess of the Afghan royal family.

The 'Royale de Luxe' seems to have had two slight variations on the engraving theme - one with more birds, the other with more gargoyles. I find the birds rather nicely done and the gargoyles cheeky and surprising. You would never be short of something to look at with this in your hand.

It has divided opinion, as I said it would. I remember offering the last one to a client who said "Why would anyone put that on a gun?" the next one said "I want it".

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