Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > European Armoury

 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
Old 11th November 2008, 03:16 PM   #1
Matchlock
(deceased)
 
Matchlock's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking
Posts: 4,310
Default A fine Nuremberg matchlock Landsknecht harquebus, dated 1539

The stock of limewood, partly carved with triangular ornament; behind the barrel tang the Nuremberg city mark N. The barrel and lock of wrought iron, the first deeply struck twice with a Nuremberg maker's mark, two crossed crossbow bolts (also known from cranequins of the 1530's-40's), and the dated 1539. Although the upper end of the buttstock shows some damage the whole is preserved in unusually good condition regarding its great age; even the ramrod is the original, retaining its long iron finial threaded for cleaning tools. Overall length 112 cm, cal. 16 mm.

Only one other similar piece is known, the barrel bearing the same marks and date: it is on display in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg. I attach some details of that, too. It mostly differs from my piece in that the GNM's gun is in worse condition overall, especially the stock. The iron parts show traces of acid cleaning. The shape of the lock plate is slightly different from mine, the long tiller trigger is broken off and the ramrod missing. The barrel, however, is remarkable for having an incised serpent like wavy line ornament in its forward section ending in stylized Gothic trefoils consisting of three circles each.
The stock does not bear the N for Nuremberg, and the description reads that it is of walnut. The graining, however, is clearly that of limewood or possibly maple.
The measurements are almost exactly the same as in my piece.

These harquebuses were employed by those mercenaries who were called harquebusiers. The attached Nuremberg woodcuts of the 1530's show South German Landsknechte with their matchlock harquebuses.

Michael
Attached Images
            
Matchlock is offline   Reply With Quote
 

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:42 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.