An Early and Important Munich Military Matchlock Musket by Peter Peck, ca. 1575-80

[Matchlock]

I am proud to say that a fine specimen of an extremely rare type of heavy (9 kg!) and early matchlock musket of ca. 1570-80 is in my collection, the barrel struck with the Gothic minuscule p workshop mark of the famous Munich gunsmith Peter Peteck who worked for the Electors of Saxony and the Emperor Charles V, and whose guns are preserved in world famous collections like the Met N.Y. and the Real Armería Madrid!
This, in fact, is the only known plain military gun to bear his workshop mark.

It, like all early and original matchlocks between ca. 1560 and 1590, is a huge and enormous piece, showing the standard period overall length of 156 cm, the use of walnut for the stock also indicating its early period (after ca. 1590, the stocks of German military muskets were made of beechwood). Apart from numerous repaired age cracks and some worm holes, the stock with its flared buttstock of early Netherlandish form shows only one minor replacement: the tip of the flared but which, in those early days, was not yet protected by the later iron butt plate. Jacob de Gheyn, in 1608, was the first to depict that butt plate together with the fully developed trigger and guard in the plates to his famous Wapenhandelinghe Van Roers, Mvsqvetten Ende Spiessen.

The barrel, of octagonal section throughout, with its impressive breech conveying the real 'ordnance' feeling, bears the characteristic tubular rear sight carved as a bearded man's face retaining much of its original blued surface, and a blade foresight. Above the breech, there is the Gothic minuscule p mark of the famous gunmaker Peter Peck of Munich, who worked for the Emperor Charles V and the Electors of Saxony, and whose guns are now preserved in world famous museums such as the Real Armería Madrid or the Met N.Y.
The lock is of early form, long, slender and rectangular, slightly broadening towards the muzzle and divided into sections by three roped bands, and the serpentine still revokes the earliest Italian style by its elaborately punched sea monster's face at the top jaws, and with another face repeated down at the tail! The high fire shield, typical of all 1570's-80's muskets, and carved, downcurved grip of the pan cover further add to the early impression of that huge musket. The trigger, of course, still is the long rectangular tiller with a mushroom shaped pommel, also retaining much of its original dark finish, just like the high fire shield, and screwed to the stock behind it is an iron hook for suspension of the musket in an armory.
The whole is preserved in virtually 'untouched', heavily patinated condition throughout.
Branded into the left side of the buttstock is the letter K, certainly an arsenal mark of the town this musket once belonged to; this is all the more remarkable as almost all German city names now starting with a K were spelled with a C in the 16th/17th century, for example Köln (Cölln, Cologne).
Measurements: overall length 156 cm, barrel 124 cm, bore 18 mm, weight 9 kgs.

Attached at bottom are a similar musket of ca. 1580 with a suspension hook in the museum of Cologne, the walnut stock crudely leached and the serpentine and tiller trigger both wrong-style replacements, and an old photograph of about 1900 depicting the former display of matchlock muskets in the Emden armory, suspended on their stock hooks, with their muzzles down.


Best,
Michael