[Matchlock]

The muskets in Paris and in a 1912 Dorotheum auction.

The Paris muskets are, next to an extremely long sharpshooter's Italian wheellock musket of ca. 1640 and an 8-shot matchlock musket with 8 pans and touch holes and movable lock (!) of ca. 1600:
- a German/Suhl matchlock musket of ca. 1615-20 with sparse bone inlay
another of ca. 1600-10
- a characteristic military Dutch/Emden matchlock musket, the barrel and lock made in Suhl, ca. 1615-20
- a German matchlock musket with long tiller trigger and inlaíd stock, 1590's
When comparing the latter two in both style and period please keep in mind that they are 20 to 30 years apart!


I also attached photos of some Saxon/Dresden matchlock muskets of the 1580's, with their characteristic mother-of-pearl and bone inlay.
The first photo depicts the obverse side of a matchlock musket on the right-hand side. Please note the tiller trigger and typical lock plate with the early-style serpentine.

It can be generally stated that matchlock muskets with inlaid stocks did normally not continue to be made after ca. 1630, the Dutch ones being the latest in existence.
When dating a musket, the shape of the buttstock is very relevant: the still flared upper curve of the butt is accompanied by a notable belly on the underside, and the sharp edges of the buttstock start vanishing when the formal development comes near the mid-17th century when the new Baroque style replaces the former Renaissance sense of style. But the barrel, lock and mounts made large stylistic progress as well after the end of the Thirty Years War.

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