Richard Howard, UK

Richard Howard brought this smashing little pocket pistol down to the ground for me to photograph. It has an interesting lions head butt plate which we have seen similar on a shotgun once owned by a Scudamore – so maybe it was commissioned by them. It also has an oval with a phoenix engraved on it. Apparently according to mythology there was only ever one phoenix in existence at any one time – then after 500 years it plucked the feathers out of it’s breast to make a pyre – in which it was consumed by fire to be reborn from the ashes – so perhaps this was a ‘one off’ which John Perrins hoped would last for 500 years – then be melted down and made into another pistol!! Just a thought.