Flintlock Rifle with Case and Bullet Mould Made for Colonel Jacob Bates (1746–1836)

ca. 1820

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 372

Silas Allen produced a large number of muskets for the state militia in addition to custom-made hunting and target rifles for private customers. This rifle is possibly his finest work and ranks among the best New England rifles of the early nineteenth century. Its original owner, Jacob Bates, was a distinguished veteran of the American Revolution. The rifle was acquired for the Metropolitan Museum in 1938 directly from his great granddaughter Ethel C. Morse.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: Flintlock Rifle with Case and Bullet Mould Made for Colonel Jacob Bates (1746–1836)
Gunsmith: Silas Allen Jr. (American, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, 1785–1868)
Date: ca. 1820
Geography: Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Culture: American, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Medium: Steel, silver, brass, wood, silver wire
Dimensions: Rifle (a); L. 55 3/4 in. (141.61 cm); L. of barrel 40 1/2 in. (102.87 cm); Cal. .51 in. (12.7 mm); Wt. 11 lb. 2 oz. (5046 g); bullet mould (c); L. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm); Wt. 5.6 oz. (158.8 g)
Classification: Firearms
Credit Line: Gift of Christian A. Zabriskie, 1938
Object Number: 38.116a–k
Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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