Arquebuse from the Museum of Castle in Nuremberg

Spiridonov · 31st August 2010, 10:16 PM

caliber 23 mm. About 1500 year. total length on my estimations average 1 meter

Spiridonov · 31st August 2010, 10:17 PM

else

Matchlock · 6th October 2013, 12:45 PM

Here are images of a Nuremberg watercolor dated 1502, depicting short arquebuses with exactly the same type of crude buttstock!

Best,
Michael

fernando · 6th October 2013, 01:16 PM

Fascinating !
Where the hell do you find these things ?

Matchlock · 6th October 2013, 06:21 PM

This watercolor painting on linen called Die Schlacht im Walde, 1502 (The Forest Battle) is on display at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg, on the left side of the entrance to the great arms hall.
Sadly, almost nobody cares about it.

I took lots of images of it over the years, many of which I posted here in earlier threads, e.g.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...schlacht+walde

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...schlacht+walde

I post an overall view of it here.

Best,
Michl

Matchlock · 14th November 2013, 02:12 PM

An astonishingly naturalistic stone sculpture of about 1515, in the Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) of Reutlingen, Swabia/Germany, picturing an arquebusier holding his short, crude and heavy arquebus which seems to be fitted with a matchlock mechanism - the angular match holder seems to be visible above the left-hand thumb of the arquebusier holding the match near the jaws of the match holder (serpentine), and just above the retangular pan! - , and a length of characteristically thick and early matchcord of hemp.

Please note the similarities between the arquebus of this sculpture and the real piece in Nuremberg; both specimen are quite contemporary in featuring the Late-Gothic style octagonal barrel, although the crude and rounded conifer wood stock of the Nuremberg gun clearly falls short of the perfectly sided elegance of the idealized stock shown in the sculpture.

No outline of a lockplate can be identified on the Reutlingen piece, so we may safely assume that all the single parts of the mechanism of the sculptured Reutlingen arquebus would have simply been nailed or clamped to the stock.
The Nuremberg piece, on the onther hand, is interesting for showing some areas of heavy worm damage and surface losses on the stock. One of these areas is situated on the left-hand side of the stock, opposite of the right-hand side touch hole which is crudely molded to form a primiitive pan. So there is no chance of attributing that worm damage to the fact that originially there was a lock mechanism with a long curved leaf spring nailed to the right-hand side of the stock ...

Best,
Michael

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 14th November 2013, 04:56 PM

Salaams Matchlock... Bravo, Bravo !!

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Matchlock · 14th November 2013, 05:17 PM

Thank you so much, Ibrahiim!

With my best salaams,
Michael

Matchlock · 14th November 2013, 11:22 PM

[QUOTE=
The Nuremberg piece, on the onther hand, is interesting for showing some areas of heavy worm damage and surface losses on the stock. One of these areas is situated on the left-hand side of the stock, opposite of the right-hand side touch hole which is crudely molded to form a primiitive pan. So there is no chance of attributing that worm damage to the fact that originially there was a lock mechanism with a long curved leaf spring nailed to the right-hand side of the stock ...[/QUOTE]

On second thought, and a closer look, these areas of suspected worming just seem to be quite normal damage losses due to both the great age and extreme dryness of the conifer wood (most probably fir or pine tree): there are not traces of worming whatsoever, vertically or horizontally, identifiable on the ground surface!
m

31st August 2010, 10:16 PM	#1
Spiridonov Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Russia, Leningrad Posts: 355	Arquebuse from the Museum of Castle in Nurnberg caliber 23 mm. About 1500 year. total length on my estimations average 1 meter Attached Images Last edited by Spiridonov; 1st September 2010 at 07:22 AM.

31st August 2010, 10:17 PM	#2
Spiridonov Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Russia, Leningrad Posts: 355	else Attached Images

6th October 2013, 12:45 PM	#3
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Here are images of a Nuremberg watercolor dated 1502, depicting short arquebuses with exactly the same type of crude buttstock! Best, Michael Attached Images

6th October 2013, 06:21 PM	#5
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	This watercolor painting on linen called Die Schlacht im Walde, 1502 (The Forest Battle) is on display at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg, on the left side of the entrance to the great arms hall. Sadly, almost nobody cares about it. I took lots of images of it over the years, many of which I posted here in earlier threads, e.g. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...schlacht+walde http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...schlacht+walde I post an overall view of it here. Best, Michl Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 6th October 2013 at 06:50 PM.

14th November 2013, 02:12 PM	#6
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	An astonishingly naturalistic stone sculpture of about 1515, in the Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) of Reutlingen, Swabia/Germany, picturing an arquebusier holding his short, crude and heavy arquebus which seems to be fitted with a matchlock mechanism - the angular match holder seems to be visible above the left-hand thumb of the arquebusier holding the match near the jaws of the match holder (serpentine), and just above the retangular pan! - , and a length of characteristically thick and early matchcord of hemp. Please note the similarities between the arquebus of this sculpture and the real piece in Nuremberg; both specimen are quite contemporary in featuring the Late-Gothic style octagonal barrel, although the crude and rounded conifer wood stock of the Nuremberg gun clearly falls short of the perfectly sided elegance of the idealized stock shown in the sculpture. No outline of a lockplate can be identified on the Reutlingen piece, so we may safely assume that all the single parts of the mechanism of the sculptured Reutlingen arquebus would have simply been nailed or clamped to the stock. The Nuremberg piece, on the onther hand, is interesting for showing some areas of heavy worm damage and surface losses on the stock. One of these areas is situated on the left-hand side of the stock, opposite of the right-hand side touch hole which is crudely molded to form a primiitive pan. So there is no chance of attributing that worm damage to the fact that originially there was a lock mechanism with a long curved leaf spring nailed to the right-hand side of the stock ... Best, Michael Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 14th November 2013 at 11:23 PM.

6th October 2013, 01:16 PM	#4
fernando Lead Moderator European Armoury Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,639	Fascinating ! Where the hell do you find these things ?

14th November 2013, 04:56 PM	#7
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Matchlock !! Salaams Matchlock... Bravo, Bravo !! Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

14th November 2013, 05:17 PM	#8
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Thank you so much, Ibrahiim! With my best salaams, Michael

14th November 2013, 11:22 PM	#9
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	[QUOTE= The Nuremberg piece, on the onther hand, is interesting for showing some areas of heavy worm damage and surface losses on the stock. One of these areas is situated on the left-hand side of the stock, opposite of the right-hand side touch hole which is crudely molded to form a primiitive pan. So there is no chance of attributing that worm damage to the fact that originially there was a lock mechanism with a long curved leaf spring nailed to the right-hand side of the stock ...[/QUOTE] On second thought, and a closer look, these areas of suspected worming just seem to be quite normal damage losses due to both the great age and extreme dryness of the conifer wood (most probably fir or pine tree): there are not traces of worming whatsoever, vertically or horizontally, identifiable on the ground surface! m