Hi Folks,
I have a question about the styles of engraving on steel breech tangs, buttplates, trigger guards, pipes, and locks found on British guns during 1730-1770. The period I am addressing is before Nock, Manton, Purdey etc., and styles changed over the century. For example, you rarely if ever see the sunbursts that became common later. It seems that deep relief engraving was uncommon except for small areas used to highlight a feature. It seems to me that parallel lines were used more often to create shadows and the illusion of depth rather that back ground removal if a larger area of contrast was needed. Silver mounts may have deep sculpting but steel seems to be mostly decorated by shallow line engraving. Later in the century, steel was often deeply engraved with extensive back ground removal and features sculpted or rounded slightly more like carving wood. I bring this up because I am about to engrave my fowler (as well as another project) and wanted to use the designs on my silver mounted Heylin fowler as models but they are deeply sculpted in silver. I could do the same on the steel mounts but it actually may not be appropriate, historically. I wanted to pose this question or observation to Richard S., James R., Mike B., Jerry H. or any other folks who examined British guns from this period.
dave
