A Myth Busted: the Famous OTTHEINRICH Wheellock Arquebus Dated 1533!

Matchlock · 15th November 2013, 02:54 PM

Hi there,

After more than 35 years of closest possible study in earliest Northern European military firearms, after acquiring a comprehensive collection of ca. 60 original guns ranging from ca. 1360-1700, plus ca. 500 pieces of all sorts of accouterment, and everything in best possible authentic condition; after building up a library of my own comprising some 3,000 books and catalogs on the subject; and after taking more than 200,000 photos in the most important museums almost everywhere including their reserve collections, I have read and heard - by experts and museum curators alike (and that decisive distinction I make deliberately!!!) - such a tremendous amount of rubbish on that special arquebus that I feel authoritative enough today to bust the myth for good.

This short sporting arquebus is by far not as 'untouched' and 'originally early' as it both seems and as the community has tended to believe so far. For academic research and comparison with other contemporary early-1530 wheellocks, it therefore has to be taken cum grano salis, especially when the lock is concerned.

In the following I will prove that the seemingly early-style lock has been crudely altered in various parts to convey an even more archaic impression - without any practical need, and most probably done only about 100 years ago before selling it at auction. This relates especially to the dog spring; the present dog can be closely dated to ca. 1580 has been mentioned by experts before, but in no case is it a 'working-time' replacement but obviously the original dog had been missing.
There are even strong hints that, with high probability, the complete lock may not originally belong as wood replacements of different outline along the lower edge and the forward section of the lock plate indicate!

First images, in order of appearance:

- portrait of 1535: Ottheinrich von der Pfalz, *1502, +1559, Pfalzgraf zu Neuburg/Donau (on the Danube River, Lower Bavaria, just about 40 km from where I live ...).

- #1: close-up.

- #2: his motto Mit der Zeyt (Medieval German, meaning cum tempore, in the course of time).

- #3: his full title as Count Palatine.

- #4: his portrait around 1540, depicting him girded with a 1530's type of Landsnecht sword; by Georg Pencz; note his gain of weight, analogous to his friend Henry VIII of England.
G. Pencz often portrayed Landsknechts (mercenaries).

- #5: Georg Pencz, self portrait of ca. 1545

- #6: monumental late portrait, ca. 1556, few years before his death in 1559; once more, note the considerable gain of weight, again corresponding to that of Henry VIII: OTTH is unable to stand upright for the painter.

- #7ff: the so-called Ottheinrich arquebus, most probably made in Augsburg and dated 1533 on the left-hand rear end of the buttstock; for the unusual Early-Renaissance scroll buttstock, please see more Augsburg wheellocks by Christoph Arnold:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ng+1540+passau

and

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...554#post162554

Please note that the finely writhen knob of the pan-caver button release closely corresponds in shape to the blackened (!) writhen pommel of OTTH's Landsknecht sword in attachment #4!

Due to the tons of material, this thread is going to make slow progress - please be patient; it will pay, I promise you!

Best,
Michael

15th November 2013, 02:54 PM	#1
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	A Myth Busted: the Famous OTTHEINRICH Wheellock Arquebus Dated 1533! Hi there, After more than 35 years of closest possible study in earliest Northern European military firearms, after acquiring a comprehensive collection of ca. 60 original guns ranging from ca. 1360-1700, plus ca. 500 pieces of all sorts of accouterment, and everything in best possible authentic condition; after building up a library of my own comprising some 3,000 books and catalogs on the subject; and after taking more than 200,000 photos in the most important museums almost everywhere including their reserve collections, I have read and heard - by experts and museum curators alike (and that decisive distinction I make deliberately!!!) - such a tremendous amount of rubbish on that special arquebus that I feel authoritative enough today to bust the myth for good. This short sporting arquebus is by far not as 'untouched' and 'originally early' as it both seems and as the community has tended to believe so far. For academic research and comparison with other contemporary early-1530 wheellocks, it therefore has to be taken cum grano salis, especially when the lock is concerned. In the following I will prove that the seemingly early-style lock has been crudely altered in various parts to convey an even more archaic impression - without any practical need, and most probably done only about 100 years ago before selling it at auction. This relates especially to the dog spring; the present dog can be closely dated to ca. 1580 has been mentioned by experts before, but in no case is it a 'working-time' replacement but obviously the original dog had been missing. There are even strong hints that, with high probability, the complete lock may not originally belong as wood replacements of different outline along the lower edge and the forward section of the lock plate indicate! First images, in order of appearance: - portrait of 1535: Ottheinrich von der Pfalz, 1502, +1559, Pfalzgraf zu Neuburg/Donau (on the Danube River, Lower Bavaria, just about 40 km from where I live ...). - #1: close-up. - #2: his motto Mit der Zeyt* (Medieval German, meaning cum tempore, in the course of time). - #3: his full title as Count Palatine. - #4: his portrait around 1540, depicting him girded with a 1530's type of Landsnecht sword; by Georg Pencz; note his gain of weight, analogous to his friend Henry VIII of England. G. Pencz often portrayed Landsknechts (mercenaries). - #5: Georg Pencz, self portrait of ca. 1545 - #6: monumental late portrait, ca. 1556, few years before his death in 1559; once more, note the considerable gain of weight, again corresponding to that of Henry VIII: OTTH is unable to stand upright for the painter. - #7ff: the so-called Ottheinrich arquebus, most probably made in Augsburg and dated 1533 on the left-hand rear end of the buttstock; for the unusual Early-Renaissance scroll buttstock, please see more Augsburg wheellocks by Christoph Arnold: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ng+1540+passau and http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...554#post162554 Please note that the finely writhen knob of the pan-caver button release closely corresponds in shape to the blackened (!) writhen pommel of OTTH's Landsknecht sword in attachment #4! Due to the tons of material, this thread is going to make slow progress - please be patient; it will pay, I promise you! Best, Michael Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 16th November 2013 at 12:07 AM.