There is (or was, as he just passed) a 'contemporary' builder by the name of John B. Derrick who grew up in Germany and had in his possession or had held many early an ornate and decorated arms. So ... he decided to make his own after he emigrated here and retired.
All are done in the pre-industrial baroque and rococo styles replete with elk antler, sterling silver, and other metal inlays, where all his furniture was designed and individually hand-cast by himself via the lost wax method. He initially started out making Germanic-influenced Jaegers, but then branched out into wheellocks and snaphaunces; each and all highly ornate and/or decorated.
Rather than being copies of any one specific individual arm from a famous builder or museum, he used those styles to make his own creations. I'm
trying to get a good handle on the value of his pieces may be, but I can also see where his type of work may not be appreciated by all. Plus I admit that his execution is not be on par [
dare I say that!] with many of the builders on this Site, as in some close ups of the locks, I have seen some gaps in the lock inletting that I'll admit that I myself even achieve a tighter or better fit for the guns that I build. However, perhaps I was looking at older arms where -
who knows - maybe the wood shrunk ...
Does anyone have any input or comments on the builds of the late Mr. Derrick??
