Rare Greek Kariophili rifle with silver embellishments and barrel inlay early 19th century

A rare Northern Greece Kariophili flintlock rifle circa 1800, one of the harder types of Balkan gun to find. This example has the steel lock and barrel beautifully adorned with fine silver damascened patterns, the barrel breech with a large section of geometric design applied around  stamped makers mark, the designs continue along the barrel in lozenge shapes with another larger panel at the end. The rifle is mounted with brass engraved and decorated in panels throughout, the typical ‘fishtail’also seen on the Balkan Rasak musket is here applied with two silver bosses to each side. Several rifles of this type survive with provenances attesting to their use in early 19th century battles such as Missolonghi and Arahova. Very similar examples can also be seen in the publication by Robert Elgood ‘ The Arms of Greece and her Balkan neighbours in the Ottoman period. middle east