Pair of Miquelet Pistols

Gunsmith Signed by Francisco Pintan Spanish or Mexican

dated 1757

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 375

Signed and dated colonial Spanish firearms are extremely rare. These pistols are in the Peninsular Spanish style, which was popular in Spain by the 1740s in reaction to the strong influence in court circles of English and French firearms. Based on the type of wood used for their stocks, the Pintan pistols appear to have been produced in the New World, probably Mexico, by a Spanish-trained gunsmith. The basic shape of the stocks is reminiscent of pistols from Ripoll, a major exporter of firearms to Spanish colonies in the New World.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Pair of Miquelet Pistols
Gunsmith: Signed by Francisco Pintan (Spanish or Mexican, possibly active in Mexico, mid-18th century)
Date: dated 1757
Culture: Colonial Spanish, probably Mexico
Medium: Steel, wood (family leguminosae), silver
Dimensions: L. of 2011.361: 10 7/8 in. (27.5 cm); L. of barrel of 2011.361: 6 in. (15.2 cm); L. of 2011.362: 10 5/8 in. (27.2 cm); L. of barrel of 2011.362: 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Classification: Firearms-Guns-Miquelet
Credit Line: Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gift, 2011
Object Number: 2011.361–.362
Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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