Well while under the COVID19 curtain, our astute Swedish connection has unearthed some info and corrects me as to the phrase >>S auch Schwertfeger<<, which shoudl be S(iehe) auch Schwertfeger. Sometimes Schwertfeger is seen spelled as Schwerdtfeger.
Info suggests that circa 1890 was the time period when Gottlob Wilcke was dubbed as a court supporter. Gottlob Wilcke is first noted as a Hof-Bchsenmacher in 1890 publications, which may take a year or two to be published. In 1880 he was a Bataillons-Bchsenmacher and I have seen the term >>Regimentsbchsenmacher<< tossed about. Gottlob Wilcke must have acquired his master gunsmith's sheepskin in the early 1870s as the 1st listing as his occupation being a Bchsenmacher is in 1872. Further, listings from 1800 till 1871 note not a one of the Stuttgart Wilcke's being involved in the manufacture of weapons. It could be that they were forever entangled with the craft of Schwertfeger until Gottlob Wilcke broke rank. So getting back to the longarm @ hand, it must have been delivered between 1890 & early 1893.
Regarding adornment, in the year 1890 there were 26 active engravers in the German town of Stuttgart. With one of them being the establishment S. Schiller & Sohn, having the title of Hofgraveur. Not all of the 26 talented craftsmen were engaged in the adornment of weapons. Also we find Paul Heckel as yet another Hofgraveur. Wilhelm Reinhardt, Hoflieferant, suggests when a longarm wears the term Hof-whatever that the task of the adornment was framed out to a mechanic, possibly a Hofgraveur, who was typical involved in the Hof realm.
Many thanks Peter.
Cheers,
Raimey
rse
