Ca. 1500 to 1650: Bandeliers for Arquebusiers and Musketeers

Matchlock · 17th March 2014, 06:39 PM

Close-ups of one of the sturdy, pleated leather ball pouches with its lid and draw strings and its sewings.
At the bottom one of the brass rings (now heavily patinated to a blackish color) for carrying a portion of matchcord.

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Matchlock · 17th March 2014, 07:23 PM

There are two Emden variants as a solution to fix a length of matchcord to the bandelier: a brass ring (now patinated to a greenish black) or a leather loop.

Please note the way the piece of felt for resting the heavy musket on the shoulder more comfortably is sewn to the main belt.

And enjoy the best and most detailed photos ever taken of wonderfully preserved, 400 year-old musketeers bandeliers!

Best,
Michael

Matchlock · 17th March 2014, 07:37 PM

Finally there are some photos of extremely rare and well-made Swedish bandeliers, ca. 1620, the main belt consisting of seal skin (!).

I do not know of any records of the use of bandeliers after the end of the Thirty Years War (1648). We may therefore assume that by the mid-17th c., leather cartridge/cartouche bags had taken over. Similar to the 16th c. patrons, they were fitted with a wooden block, slightly curved to fit the musketeer's belly, and drilled with compartments to receive an average of 10-15 paper cartridges.

Attached are

- a view of a row of such bags in the Emden Armory, mid- to 2nd half 17th c.; they are displayed right under the bandeliers

- a plain, tooled leather Austrian cartridge bag

- two similar samples in the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum Wien (Army Museum Vienna), one showing the inner wooden core.

Best,
Michael

17th March 2014, 06:39 PM	#1
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Close-ups of one of the sturdy, pleated leather ball pouches with its lid and draw strings and its sewings. At the bottom one of the brass rings (now heavily patinated to a blackish color) for carrying a portion of matchcord. m Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 17th March 2014 at 07:15 PM.

17th March 2014, 07:23 PM	#2
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	There are two Emden variants as a solution to fix a length of matchcord to the bandelier: a brass ring (now patinated to a greenish black) or a leather loop. Please note the way the piece of felt for resting the heavy musket on the shoulder more comfortably is sewn to the main belt. And enjoy the best and most detailed photos ever taken of wonderfully preserved, 400 year-old musketeers bandeliers! Best, Michael Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 17th March 2014 at 08:04 PM.

17th March 2014, 07:37 PM	#3
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Finally there are some photos of extremely rare and well-made Swedish bandeliers, ca. 1620, the main belt consisting of seal skin (!). I do not know of any records of the use of bandeliers after the end of the Thirty Years War (1648). We may therefore assume that by the mid-17th c., leather cartridge/cartouche bags had taken over. Similar to the 16th c. patrons, they were fitted with a wooden block, slightly curved to fit the musketeer's belly, and drilled with compartments to receive an average of 10-15 paper cartridges. Attached are - a view of a row of such bags in the Emden Armory, mid- to 2nd half 17th c.; they are displayed right under the bandeliers - a plain, tooled leather Austrian cartridge bag - two similar samples in the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum Wien (Army Museum Vienna), one showing the inner wooden core. Best, Michael Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 17th March 2014 at 10:53 PM.