An early cannon revisited, by Ed
I would like to add a few detailed images of the bronze cannon barrel dated 1553 from Tom Del Mar's London sale that Ed posted.
Actually, there was a pair of barrels in that lot, one of them heavily damaged.
Please note the significant staging of the barrels, the inscription ANNO DOMI/NI and the date 1553, plus an owner's coat-of-arms, all cast and chiseled in high relief. The prolongated muzzle head closely corresponds to Ed's iron barrel of ca. 1540, although bronze barrels usually follow a more refined style scheme.
Matchlock
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