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Originally Posted by Rick
Hi Fernando,
I would submit that the carving is not of a quality that a European would consider acceptable as custom work .
However if it was carved for the 'Traveler' it might have some attraction .
Otherwise I would think it was native carved for native use in a talismanic fashion .  |
Totally agree Rick!
It seems that this particular gun was as noted by Fernando, the British M1842 percussion musket, which was smoothbore, and was replaced in 1853 by the rifled musket of that year.
Since England often would send now obsolete weapons to its colonies, particularly Africa and other trade customers, it is not surprising to see these in Africa in native use. On the Ethnographic Forum several days ago there was another 'tower' gun posted, this one apparantly a carbine, which had a cross in tacks on the stock, and brass wire wrapped barrel and neck.
By the latter part of the 19th century, there were of course great hunting expeditions regularly held for wealthy persons from England and the Continent. The hunting rifles produced for these were quite decorative and often the locks and furniture, as well as stocks themselves were well decorated with hunting themes. There is a book titled "Checkering and Carving of Gun Stocks" by Monty Kennedy, which I have not seen, but might have more information, and the reference to checkering does suggest that this particular native musket may well have been locally carved in imitation of those European hunting rifles.
Concerning the talismanic element; it is now known that prehistoric rock art found deep in the halls of caves, typically reflecting early man hunting various animals, was intended not to record the event(s), but actually to predetermine the outcome by calling for the success of the hunt. In time, man even began to place such images on his weapons, not only to mark them as his, but to wish him well on the hunt.
It would seem this talismanic or amuletic invocation concept found its way into modern times, through the 'talismanic blades' on hunting weapons of the 17th and 18th century, the 'shirkirgar' blades in India, and of course later on the hunting arms of the 19th century. Traditionally, the decorative sense still exists.
Best regards,
Jim