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Matchlock Gun

late 16th–early 17th century
Not on view
Matchlocks were fitted to the majority of military long guns in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries because they were easy and cheap to manufacture. This example is said to have come from the arsenal in Graz, Austria.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Matchlock Gun
  • Date: late 16th–early 17th century
  • Culture: German or Austrian
  • Medium: Steel, wood
  • Dimensions: L. of stock 55 1/2 in. (140.9 cm); L. of barrel 42 in. (106.6 cm); Cal. .688 in. (17.5 mm); Wt. 11 lb. 9 oz. (5244.7 g)
  • Classification: Firearms-Guns-Matchlock
  • Credit Line: Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
  • Object Number: 14.25.1374
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
More Artwork
Pellet and Bolt Crossbow Combined with a Wheel-Lock Gun, Jacob Floris , published in Antwerp in 1564. Central European, Steel, wood (cherry), staghorn, hemp, felt, Central European; possibly Southern German or Austrian
Designer Decoration based on designs by Jacob Floris
ca. 1570–1600
Matchlock Gun (清  鳥銃), Steel, wood, copper, brass, iron, silver, gold, Chinese
Chinese
probably 18th–19th century
Crossbow, Cranequin and Six Crossbow Bolts, Steel, wood (probably cherry, and possibly service tree), ivory (probably elephant), horn, mother-of-pearl, iron alloy, copper alloy, hemp, southern German or Tyrolese; cranequin probably German or Swiss
southern German or Tyrolese; cranequin probably German or Swiss
crossbow ca. 1600–1650; cranequin dated 1556
Combination Wheellock Matchlock Gun, Steel, wood (walnut), staghorn, brass, German
German
ca. 1560
Crossbow, Wood (European hornbeam), horn, animal sinew, animal glue, birch bark, staghorn, iron alloy, hemp, leather, Central European, possibly Austria
Central European, possibly Austria
ca. 1425–75

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