Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - A unique bronze barrel wall gun (doppelter Doppelhaken), Nuremberg, ca. 1515-20

cannonmn · 22nd December 2011, 06:48 PM

Michael, thanks again for your information. I do think there is something to be said for Peter II Mulich having used the rings of undulating flames as a trademark for his bronze cannons, as each one of the four for which drawings (including the one surviving specimen in bronze) have the same kind of decorative rings. Using decorative rings of evenly-spaced wavy (undulating) flames is I think a bit stronger evidence than just flames per se. Another thing to consider is that Peter II Mulich was indeed from Nuremberg, where his father had always practiced his trade, but he moved to Zwickau at some point in his career, apparently about 1520-23. However these are merely idle ramblings or at most "food for thought, and you are indeed the expert and I am but a slow-learning and somewhat impetuous student.

Two additional features of the "Schellenberg" hackbut may help tell us something. What looks like a proof-mark on the side of the flash pan seems to match some of those shown for Saxony in my 1943-dated two-volume Swedish-language set of Der Stoeckel. However the marks in the book are supposed to be much later than my gun, so who knows?

A final feature to consider which may help identify the maker is the very prominent iron core-pin, or chaplet, which goes through the breech vertically and is exposed most noticeably on top. Chaplets were always used to hold the cores in place while casting cannons in those days. Have you seen such core pins or chaplets in other bronze hackbuts?

Thanks again for sharing your incredible database and knowledge of these rare pieces.

22nd December 2011, 06:48 PM	#35
cannonmn Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 161	Thanks again. Michael, thanks again for your information. I do think there is something to be said for Peter II Mulich having used the rings of undulating flames as a trademark for his bronze cannons, as each one of the four for which drawings (including the one surviving specimen in bronze) have the same kind of decorative rings. Using decorative rings of evenly-spaced wavy (undulating) flames is I think a bit stronger evidence than just flames per se. Another thing to consider is that Peter II Mulich was indeed from Nuremberg, where his father had always practiced his trade, but he moved to Zwickau at some point in his career, apparently about 1520-23. However these are merely idle ramblings or at most "food for thought, and you are indeed the expert and I am but a slow-learning and somewhat impetuous student. Two additional features of the "Schellenberg" hackbut may help tell us something. What looks like a proof-mark on the side of the flash pan seems to match some of those shown for Saxony in my 1943-dated two-volume Swedish-language set of Der Stoeckel. However the marks in the book are supposed to be much later than my gun, so who knows? A final feature to consider which may help identify the maker is the very prominent iron core-pin, or chaplet, which goes through the breech vertically and is exposed most noticeably on top. Chaplets were always used to hold the cores in place while casting cannons in those days. Have you seen such core pins or chaplets in other bronze hackbuts? Thanks again for sharing your incredible database and knowledge of these rare pieces.