A Unique Double Barrel Bronze Tiller Haquebut, North Germany, ca. 1420

[Matchlock]

Now that's what I call a brilliant image - thank you so much!

What about a cute bronze handgonne on the long and stoney road to cannon heaven every now and then, Fernando?

Best,
Michael

[Spiridonov]

else:
http://www.albrechts.se/Library/Pdfe...%20cannons.pdf

[fernando]

Hi Michl,

Originally Posted by Matchlock

... What about a cute bronze handgonne on the long and stoney road to cannon heaven every now and then, Fernando? ...

Only now i saw this part .
Yes, i figure the heaven doorman will check on our collection before determining which section we will reside in.
You will have a palace allocated to you, i am sure .

[Matchlock]

Hi Nando,

I'm just wondering which side that palace would be on ...

Best,
Michl

[Matchlock]

Before the early 15th century, no makers or other marks are known, be it on guns or on any other work of arts and crafts; it was only during the 1st half of the 15th c. that artisans and craftsmen began to develop that special self confidence.

As I stated in some of the earlier posts in this thread, the Gothic minuscule script here is mostly ornament in the form of letters; only the word maria is identifiable as a religious invocation.

I would say that the ornamental script was engraved after the casting of the barrel; it looks just too delicate and neat for being the result of casting.

Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

Now I can see what marks you meant and attach the pics. As far as I could gather from the heap of images there are at least two different marks. Based on the fact that I date the Mörkö gun to ca. 1430, they could be either High Gothic housemarks carrying a certain symbol, owner's or maker's marks (they are chiseled, not casted) or may have apotropaic (warding off evil) function quite common of those superstitious times; the bearded head in high relief on the Mörkö gun, in all proboability, served the same purpose. On the other hand, the mark with the M shaped base could also be a simple way of early numbering - cf. the numbering on the hook of my huge Nuremberg bronze Doppelhaken - , and it may as well represent the stylized tree of life. The other mark, in the shape of an arrow, might be a workshop mark denoting that that worksphop had formerly manufactured arrow heads.

Just to demonstrate how dangerous any statement on that early field may be, I must correct myself for saying that marks on guns and related arts and crafts generally do not appear before the beginning of the 15th century. Let me just mention the marks and inscriptions on sword blades, or the little arrowhead mark on my small Aljubarrota barrel of ca. 1360-80.

Best,
Michael

[Lee]

This page has been edited in compliance with a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice with removal of the allegedly infringing photographs; the previous two posts refer in part to images no longer remaining in the thread.

[Matchlock]

What I pity, Lee,

to range the owner's alledged 'photo rights' above my academically correct and righteous quotation and crediting that guy for the linked and borrowed images.

It was nothing more than the commonly accepted quoting from a printed source and simultaneously crediting the author. Taking such a step against Owen and me makes almost any academic references, any sharing and studying together literally senseless. Our work for the community could be killed by a dash any time.

Bowing down before such 'claims' I feel is an extreme personal affront against me and my hundreds of hours spent for and thousands of 'personal' images shared with you all; I had taken them by myself in hundreds of museums and collections all over Europe, which voyages cost me not 800 but many thousands of euro.