Matchlock Petronels, Germany, ca. 1550-1600

[Matchlock]

Light matchlock petronels - calivers (German: Schützenrohre) - in the Landeszeughaus Graz, Styria, Austria, 1560's to 1570; one of them is dated 1568. The barrels all have Nuremberg marks; the locks are combined tiller matchlocks and snap tinderlocks, with two serpentines united on one lockplate: the long trigger bar acting on the 'usual' serpentine, and the short trigger (German: Züngel) releasing the cocked serpentine to snap into the igniting pan.
In Austria, these petronels with downcurved buttstocks are traditionally called Krummschäfte (bent stocks).
The second attachment gives their exact data both in English and German.
Author's photos.

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[Matchlock]

More from the 1560's Nuremberg petronel series with combined locks in Graz.

[Matchlock]

That's the rest of my photos of the Nuremberg 1560's series.

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[Matchlock]

A good North Italian military matchlock petronel caliver, ca. 1560 (it was misdated by the auction house).
Please note the coat-of-arms on the barrel, the long tubular rear sight and the male portrait stamped on the pan cover. The latter is common to all mid 16th century Italian petronels; as the Renaissance originated in Italia, and was the rebirth of the Ancient Greek and Roman styles, these portraits copied the way that the Roman Emperors had their portraits struck on coins!
Sold at auction with Czerny's, Sarzana.

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[Matchlock]

Another North Italian 1560's military matchlock petronel caliver, preserved in 'untouched', heavily patinated condition throughout, but the stock heavily wormed and damaged, and with the downcurved buttstock missing, it was nothing more than a mere fragment.
Of course, it, just like the previously shown specimen, had the coin-like portait struck on the pan cover.
It was sold at auction today with Hermann Historica's Munich for 1,700 euro hammer price, plus 23 per cent commission.
Their expert did not even know it was ca. 1560 and Italian; their catalog description reads 'a German! matchlock musket!, 1st half 17th century'!!!
As I stated, it was not a long and heavy musket but a short, light and smallbore caliver.

I wonder whether we will meet that piece again on the market.
Anyway, by then it will of course be crudely 'restored', with the buttstock most certainly reconstructed the wrong way!, and robbed of all its charming patina that proved its great age ...

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[Matchlock]

A very elegantly shaped, North Italian matchlock petronel caliver, ca. 1570, the pan cover also showing the coin-like Renaissance portrait.
Overall length 1.35 m, bore 16 mm, weight 5.1 kg.
Armeria Reale, Torino, Italy, inv.no. M.1 (3 attachments).

And another, maybe somewhat earlier, ca. 1560-70, the buttstock elegantly shaped. On this piece we also understand the function of the small eye screw at the underside of the buttstock. Many petronels feature this screw, as well as some early matchlock muskets before ca. 1600. As is depicted here, it was to secure the long and delicate trigger bar from getting lost, by attaching it by means of a cord. On our piece in discussion, this cord (or piece of wire) sadly is too short. The effect is that the internal leaf spring is held under permanent tension, and the serpentine is forced backwards, frozen in the firing position!
How can any museum curator possibly do such a mindless, horrible thing?! You know me well enough by now to have a premonition of what is coming next - and you are right! Here it is: museums!!! Grrr ...! mad:
Armeria Reale, Torino, Italy, inv.no. M.4 (1 attachment).



Attached at the bottom are three close-ups of the rear section of the octagonal barrel of another North Italian petronel caliver, an earlier piece of ca. 1550-60, and preserved in fine condition. Again, the pan cover is struck with a coin-style male portrait; this gun is in the collection of a friend of mine. I was allowed to dismantle it for research purposes, and took these potos.

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[Matchlock]

For more valuable stuff on petronels, please see

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...d=1#post169935

Best,
Michael