Postscript: Further examination revealed a gold figure in a 17th Century (??) suit of armor above the left side trigger guard . Perhaps more telling is what appears to be a Demon with skull head, tail and encoiled by a serpent on the buttplate crest. These skeleton / demon figures were a common symbol representing the death and pestilence of the horrific 30 Years War which tore Germany apart. While officially ending in 1648 the memories and hatreds scarred German consciousness for decades. All this leads me to believe the noble who commissioned the gun may have belonged to a royal house intimately involved in the fighting on the winning side Remember Germany at the time consisted of dozens of Duchies and small Municipalities prior to unification in 1870 under Prussian leadership. Our noble may well have been German or Bohemian, and note Cincinnati has always had a large ethnic German population. By the way, a capercaillie is a large blackish colored grouse with short wings found in woodlands of central to eastern Europe. The Czechs hunt them with great ceremony out of respect. Enough history and speculation. Any way of contacting the Senior Curator for information on this superb gun?

Presentation Flintlock
 

Our Thanksgiving was spent with family and friends in Kentucky. We passed through Cincinnati, where another trip to the Art Museum revealed this information posted on the wall of the gallery containing the flintlock. Not on the case with the weapon, but alone by itself on a wall next to the gallery's entrance, about two meters away. I presume that it was there when we visited earlier this year but that I (in trifocals) didn't see it.