Two Extremely Rare Small BOMBARDS, Early 15th Century

[Matchlock]

Ca. 1400-1450, probably made in Tyrol.
Of wrought iron, with clearly defined rear breech section (German: Pulversack) and touch holes on top.
They sent out limestone balls that filled the wider forward section, and were placed right at the muzzle (German: Steinbüchse).
The second item was struck with a Gothic smith's mark, a religious or magic cross symbol, possibly within a shield, called Hausmarke in German. These primitive symbols are often found on early barrels; they are unidentifiable and cannot be attributed to a certain region, let alone a certain workshop.

Overall lengths:
The first: 32 cm, the second: 33 cm.

They were sold at auction, Hermann Historica, Munich, today:
The hammer prices: 4,400 € (the first) and 6,800 € the second - plus 23 per cent commission!

Originally these would have been stocked, of course. To convey in impression of what they looked like I attached photos that I took many years ago of a similar small bombard/Steinbüchse preserved in the museum at the fortress of Hohensalzburg, Salzburg, Austria.

Best,
Michael