When aiming a gun of this type, the sharply curved end of the stock was pressed against the chest (poitrine in French), hence the name petronel. The inlaid decorations of bone, some tinted green, reflect German influence. Whereas plain, inexpensively made matchlock guns were the standard weapon of muskateers throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, richly decorated examples such as this one seem to have been made for noblemen, either for hunting or for target shooting.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Matchlock Petronel
Date:ca. 1570–80
Culture:French
Medium:Steel, wood, bone
Dimensions:L. 45 1/4 in. (114.9 cm); Cal. .51 in. (12.9 mm); Wt. 7 lb. 11 oz. (3487 g)
Classification:Firearms-Guns-Matchlock
Credit Line:The Collection of Giovanni P. Morosini, presented by his daughter Giulia, 1932
Object Number:32.75.111
Marking: Marked on the barrel: a star and a shield.
Giovanni Pertinax Morosini, New York (until d. 1908; by descent to his daughter); Giulia Pertinax Morosini, New York (1908–d. 1932; her bequest to MMA).
Seattle, Wash. Seattle Art Museum. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," March 11, 1982–June 6, 1982, no. 94.
Denver, Colo. Denver Art Museum. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," July 18–October 10, 1982, no. 94.
San Antonio, Tex. Witte Museum of the San Antonio Museum Association. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 13, 1982–February 5, 1983, no. 94.
Minneapolis, Minn. Minneapolis Institute of Arts. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 24–July 31, 1983, no. 94.
San Francisco. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 5, 1983–January 28, 1984, no. 94.
Detroit, Mich. Detroit Institute of Arts. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 4–June 17, 1984, no. 94.
Lindsay, Merrill, Bruce Pendleton, Verne Noll, and Peter Parnall. One Hundred Great Guns: An Illustrated History of Firearms. New York: Walker and Company, 1967. p. 40.
Kennard, A. N. French Pistols and Sporting Guns (1972), p. 5 (this gun ill., dated 1570-1580; mistakenly called gift of W.H. Riggs).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Helmut Nickel, Stuart W. Pyhrr, Leonid Tarassuk, and American Federation of Arts. The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: An Exhibition. New York: The Federation, 1982. pp. 141–42, no. 94, ill.
Godoy, José-A. Armes à Feu XVe-XVIIe Siècle: Catalogue du Musée d'Art et d'Histoire. Geneva: Bramante Editrice, 1993. Cat. no. 8, p. 27 (a very similar petronel, called German, ca. 1570-80, with five other very similar examples noted, including ours).
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
