Jacob Kuntz ranks among the most artistically accomplished and longest living American longrifle makers. Recognized as one of his finest rifles, this example is characterized by its gracefully architected stock adorned with beautifully designed and engraved metal mounts and carvings. The curved upper and lower profile of the buttstock is typical of the Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania, where Kuntz lived and worked before he moved to Philadelphia in 1810. The carving is a testament to his comfort and skill with popular rococo ornament, as is the lively and imaginative design of the engraved brass patch box cover.
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Dimensions:L. 59 1/4 in. (150.5 cm); L. of barrel 43 in. (109.22 cm); Cal. .46 in. (11.7 mm); Wt. 9 lb. 13 oz. (4451 g)
Classification:Firearms-Guns-Flintlock
Credit Line:Gift of Wilfrid Wood, 1956
Accession Number:42.22
Signature: Signed on the lock in stylized script: JK; on the barrel: J. Kuntz.
[Stephen Van Rensselaer, Peterborough, NH; about 1911–1936; sold to Wood]; Wilfrid Wood, New Vernon, Harding Township, NJ (1936–1942; his gift to MMA).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "American Rococo 1750–1775: Eighteenth Century Elegance in Ornament," January 26–May 17, 1992, no. 7.
Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "American Rococo 1750–1775: Eighteenth Century Elegance in Ornament," July 5–September 27, 1992, no. 7.
Dillin, John G. W., and Kendrick Scofield. The Kentucky Rifle: A Study of the Origin and Development of a Purely American Type of Firearm, Together with Accurate Historical Data Concerning Early Colonial Gunsmiths, and Profusely Illustrated with Photographic Reproduction of Their Finest Work. Washington, D.C.: National Rifle Association of America, 1924. pl. 85, no. 2.
Gardner, Robert Edward. Arms Fabricators Ancient and Modern: A Compilation of the Names and Dates of Gunsmiths, Bladesmiths, Armourers.... Columbus, Ohio: F.J. Heer, 1934. p. 53 (lists a J or I Kunz of Philadelphia, also a P. Kunz who was a Pennsylvania gunsmith during the Revolution).
Dillin, John G. W., Kendrick Scofield, and George N. Hyátt. The Kentucky Rifle: A Study of the Origin and Development of a Purely American Type of Firearm, Together with Accurate Historical Data Concerning Early Colonial Gunsmiths, and Profusely Illustrated with Photographic Reproduction of Their Finest Work. 3rd ed. New York: Ludlum and Beebe, 1946. pl. 85, no. 2.
Grancsay, Stephen V. American Engraved Powder Horns: A Study Based on the J. H. Grenville Gilbert Collection. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1946. p. 7, fig. 1.
Grancsay, Stephen V. "The Craft of the Early American Gunsmith." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (October 1947), p. 54, ill.
Dillin, John G. W. The Kentucky Rifle: A Study of the Origin and Development of a Purely American Type of Firearm, Together with Accurate Historical Data Concerning Early Colonial Gunsmiths, and Profusely Illustrated with Photographic Reproduction of Their Finest Work. 4th ed. York, Pa.: Trimmer Printing, 1959. pl. 85, no. 2.
Kauffman, Henry J. The Pennsylvania-Kentucky Rifle. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Co., 1960. p. 279.
Kauffman, Henry J. The Pennsylvania-Kentucky Rifle. New York: Bonanza Books, 1960. p. 279.
Peterson, Harold L. The Treasury of the Gun. New York: Golden Press, 1962. p. 144, ill. (as "late Kentucky rifle, 1810–1820").
Grancsay, Stephen V. American Engraved Powder Horns: A Study Based on the J. H. Grenville Gilbert Collection. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Ray Riling Arms Books Co., 1965. p. 7, fig. 1.
Shumway, George. Pennsylvania Longrifles of Note. 2nd ed. York, Pa.: George Shumway, 1977. pp. 8–9 (flintlock rifle signed JK, attributed to Jacob Kuntz; short biography given).
Sellers, Frank M. American Gunsmiths: A Source Book: a Comprehensive Listing of the American Gun Maker, Patentee, Gunsmith, and Entrepreneur. Highland Park, N.J.: Gun Room Press, 1983. p. 176.
Grancsay, Stephen V., and Stuart W. Pyhrr. Arms & Armor: Essays by Stephen V. Grancsay from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 1920–1964. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986. pp. 300–307; fig. 95.1.
Nickel, Helmut. "Arms and Armor from the Permanent Collection." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (Summer 1991), pp. 47, 64, ill.
Heckscher, Morrison, and Leslie Greene Bowman. American Rococo, 1750–1775: Elegance in Ornament.. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992. pp. 10, 12, 264, no. 7, ill.
Wilson, R. L. The Peacemakers: Arms and Adventure in the American West. New York: Random House, 1992. p. 36 (a percussion over-and-under rifle by J. Kunz of Philadelphia).
Wilson, R. L. Steel Canvas: The Art of American Arms. New York: Random House, 1995. p. 54, ill.
Kafka, Lorentz. "The Romance of the Kentucky Rifle." Early American Life (April 2009), pp. 8–19, ill.
John Settel (American, active in Franklin Township, Pennsylvania, 1803–1873)
ca. 1835–1840
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