A fine North Italian combined powder flask and wheel-lock-spanner, ca. 1550-60

[Matchlock]

On it goes with my flask.

[Matchlock]

The three guns with stitch pattern stocks in the Hofburg (Hof- und Leibrüstkammer) Vienna.

Note that the wheel-lock harquebus features an additional snap-matchlock cock left to the wheel, its tinder holder head now missing - cf. my thread A matchlock chronology ca. 1520-1720. The finely etched and fire gilt North Italian barrel is deeply struck with a maker's mark on the left rear end, just above the brim of the stock: a horizontal Gothic letter E, doubtlessly for Tusco-Emilia. This mark is known from fine cinquedeas and is also on the barrel of a short Brescian snap matchlock harquebus, ca. 1525, in my collection.

Michael

[Matchlock]

The Belgian Musée de l'Armée in Brussel holds another sample with triple wheellock spanner, ca. 1570-80, the screwdriver missing.
It is shown with the hinged basic plate of the top mount open so that one can see the riveting of both the horizontal spring-loaded cut-off lever and the internal little plate that actually closes and opens the entrance of the nozzle as it moves together with the cut-off.

m

[Matchlock]

A better image of the sample in the Wallace Collection, London, ca. 1580-1600; the screwdriver is missing from the tip of the spanner.

m

[Matchlock]

This plain but 'untouched' all-iron combined powder horn and swiveling wheellock spanner, probably Austria or South Tyrol, ca. 1550-60, was sold as a lot together with a little brass flask at Bonhams London, 23 July 2008, for 500 GBP.
The screwdriver is still present though damaged.

m

[Marcus den toom]

I found this powder flask with screw driver at the last auction of Czerny's.
It ight be of interest (auction 40 lot number 1038)



http://czernys.com/auctions_lot.php?...=47351&asta=40

[Matchlock]

Thank you so much, Marcus,

This is also Italian, ca. 1600, finely pierced and notably made overall!

Best,
Michael