A Unique Portuguese Wheel-lock Pistol, ca. 1580, Hermitage Museum St. Petersburg

[Matchlock]

This is indeed another striking sample of finest Portuguese firearms!

Do you happen to know what the hinged domed butt finial contained? Cleaning accouterments, spare flints?

Best,
'Dom' Miguel

[fernando]

I hope this is not a bucket of cold water
After an instant investigation, i have confirmed the smith and owner provenance, but also found out this is a solid gold non functional example, apparently for shooting parfum or the like.
The hinged finial would contain social habits stuff like smelling salts.
As a 'compensation', i will now post a nice 1570 Lisbon wheel-lock.

.

[celtan]

Ola', Dom Miguel e Dom Fernando,

Seems like a product from Goa or Macau.

Source?

M

[Matchlock]

Ola', Dom Manuel,

As to the source: I found it on (and saved it from) somewhere on the web.

Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

Originally Posted by fernando

I hope this is not a bucket of cold water
After an instant investigation, i have confirmed the smith and owner provenance, but also found out this is a solid gold non functional example, apparently for shooting parfum or the like.
The hinged finial would contain social habits stuff like smelling salts.
As a 'compensation', i will now post a nice 1570 Lisbon wheel-lock.

.

Ola', 'Nando,

Fully agreed, my friend.

This, as well as the pistol I posted, may be as early as the 1560's. The advanced Renaissance period is known for its funny predilections of making fun of guns by building alikes of them as liqor, wine, or perfume containers.

I add a wine container made of silver, in the style of a ca. 1580 matchlock musket, 1627, from the possession of the Elector Georg Wilhelm of Brandenburg, Prussia, preserved in the Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin. The actual overall length is 1,17m, and the German expression for such items is Scherzgefässe (funny containers).

Best, Michael