Wheellock Pistol

ca. 1600–1610

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 375

French wheellock pistols of the early seventeenth century are distinguished by their extreme length, small-caliber barrels, and delicate decoration of engraved mother-of-pearl, staghorn, and brass. Innovations in the wheellock mechanism, such as the placement of the mainspring within a recess in the grip rather than on the interior of the lockplate (as was usual on German wheellocks), allowed the stocks of the French pistols to be lighter, more slender, and more gracefully proportioned.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: Wheellock Pistol
Date: ca. 1600–1610
Culture: French
Medium: Steel, wood (maple), mother-of-pearl, brass, gold
Dimensions: L. 32 1/8 in. (81.6 cm); L. of barrel 24 1/2 in. (62.2 cm); Cal. .35 in. (8.9 mm); L. of screw plug 6 in. (15.2 cm); Diam. at muzzle 7/16 in. (1.1 cm); Diam. at breech 13/16 in. (2.1 cm); L. of lock 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 3 oz. (1446 g)
Classification: Firearms-Pistols-Wheellock
Credit Line: Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
Object Number: 14.25.1422
Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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