A Fine Styrian Combined Wheel and Matchlock Musket, Dated 1583
 

Provenance: The Graz Amory (Landeszeughaus). Only two other specimens of this type are preserved there today, one dated 1581, the other 1583. Both bear the same maker's mark as the gun in discussion: of Georg Lampl, Rottenmann near Graz, Styria, Austria.

This is the highest quality version of a military fireram, preserved in optimum original condition, The iron parts retaining most of their original blued surface, the butt trap (which was not a 'patchbox' in those times!) retaining two original cleaning accouterments, a scourer and a combined cleaner and screwdriver, both threaded for the iron finial of the ramrod.

The transverse iron lug in front of the lock is for stabilizing the heavy piece when put into the assigned slits of the musket rest for aiming (see detailed images of a musket rest attached).

The full stock is of pearwood, the sparce inlays are of engraved staghorn.

Overall length 137.5 cm, cal. 17 mm smoothbore, weight 6.8 kg.

It failed to sell at Hermann Historica, Munich, on Oct 8, 2009.

Best,
Michael

The rest.

That is remarkable Marcus, thank you! and again very nice to see the important work of our late friend Michael Troemner carrying forward.
The '1' and '5' (looking like the 'S' character) suggests this date numbering must have been a convention in the Graz armory in this time frame.

As noted the maker of the barrel is retained, and in the case of the matchlock shown in the original post, its barrel mark resembles the serpentine type character of Milanese heraldry of the 'biscioni'(a type of grass snake used allegorically). It seems that this symbol is used in variation by perhaps guilds though there has been suggestion of use by a maker there (unidentified).
Perhaps further search through other references might find more specific details.