a seventeenth century matchlock ?

[cornelistromp]

There was a lively arms trade in the 16th and 17th centuries, I assume that the Petronel and muskets shown on 16/17 century Dutch paintings are mainly of German origin.

The typical Dutch style deer antler/ mother of pearl decoration was seen as early as the last quarter of the 16th century in the Netherlands.

See a German/Dutch Petronel 1579 in the Emden weapons rooms and compare this decoration with the one in post 1 and the musket in #2


One can assume with high probability that the decoration of post#1 is the orginal one done in the first half of the 17th century.



where this decoration has been done is not yet clear to me.

best,
Jasper

[Matchlock]

It is a fact that, in the High Baroque period of ca. 1700, no other country but Poland widely used a Renaissance style that had become outdated for almost 100 years (!) in order to embellish military firearms that were manufactured in Germany but, just as the style, had become obsolete long since.


The matchlock musket posted by Marcus in post #8 is all the more remarkable as it basically is a very early piece, of the period and type of the Dresden muskets, with highly decorated stock. We should closely study the shape of its lock mechanism with the long tiller trigger and the early serpentine, its barrel and stock.
Now what was wrong with that piece? Have a close look and you will notice it is too short: 149 cm overall length is not enough as to proportion when the standard length was 156 cm-160 cm. So the piece must have been shortened. Next, the back sight does not show the correct style; it should be a long tubular back sight chiselled as a bearded face. Finally, the screw entering the barrel tang from above denotes a complete fake as tang screws between ca. 1560 and 1700 always entered the stock from the underside!
Of course it was dated completely wrong 'ca. 1620' by Hermann Historica. 1580's-90 would be the correct date assiged to it but concerning what had been done to it - leave it alone! That's what I did.

I am proud to say that a fine specimen of that very same type of heavy (9 kg!) early matchlock musket of ca. 1570-80 is in my collection, the barrel struck with the Gothic minuscule p mark of the famous Munich gunsmith Peter Peteck who worked for the Electors of Saxony and the Emperor Charles V, and whose guns are preserved in world famous collections like the Met and the Real Armería Madrid!


Looking at the muskets Jasper posted we should keep in mind that they cover an early range from 1579 (the Emden petronel) to ca. 1625 (the long muskets with trigger guards), their overall and especially their decorative style being forerunners and totally incomparable with Raf's musket in discussion. Originally, there just never existed a decorated version of the latter!


m

[Marcus den toom]

Not a matchlock gun, but considering the discussion i post this carbine with a barrel from suhl. The decorations are in renaisance styl. the carbine however was without a doubt a later production since the barrel marking (suhler hen) was that of 1680's (if i remember correctly). So, as Michael pointed out, there are a lot of later productions which resemble the renaisance styl to meet the demands of Polish noble man.

[Matchlock]

Exactly, Marcus,


Thank you so much, you definitely got the point!

That was the kind of input I had been waiting for: an originally plain military Prussian wheellock saddle carbine , Suhl, ca. 1670, the saddle bar and ring now missing, and embellished in Poland in around 1700 in the obsolete Renaissance Mannerism style of ca. 1580-1600.

Attached please find images of two Suhl wheellock carbines from the same series retaining their original unaltered appearance, with their plain walnut full stocks, saddle bars and rings.


Best,
m

[cornelistromp]

Of course this later inlaid paddle butt has nothing to do with the musket in Item # 1 nor with the style of inlay of this musket.

I believe the musket of post 1 is inlaid around 1630-1640 and probably used in Holland in the second quarter of the 17thC.
it might have been an Original plain military musket (maybe they all were) but the decoration/inlay is not much later than the production of it.

See a painting by Frans Hals, the skinny company ( de magere companie) from 1633 with the same style of decoration at the musket.

and the decoration at the muskets on the painting ; platoon of the cluveniers civic quard, Harlem 1594.

Rembrandts nightwatch and others.

best,
Jasper

[Raf]

regarding a Dutch connection are we not missing the obvious ? Tulipomania 1637...

[cornelistromp]

Hi RAF,

well , the time span is exactly right between 1634-1637 there was a tulip buying anger with ridiculously high prices that were paid for it in the Netherlands.

I have also dated the musket with Dutch decoration in previous posts between 1630-1640.

some facts about the Tulp(en)manie;
In January 1637 tulip bulbs were sold for more than ten times the annual salary of a skilled craftsman, and they were about as much worth as an Amsterdam canal house. this was of course absolutely ridiculous, but did happen.

this situation in 1637 was quite similar to the banking crisis we just had/have now, a huge bubble that collapses.

The inlay on muskets that were used in Netherlands had often symbolism in the images.
see for example the oranges on musket from post 2, these represent the royal house of Orange (oranje Nassau) from the 16th century until now.
further oranges were like tulips a very expensive status product in the netherlands, William of Orange (WIII) every winter had his orange trees by his gardeners put inside where the temperature was right.

best,
Jasper