Malaysian matchlock musket (satinggar espingarda)

fernando · 16th February 2016, 05:24 PM

When will your talk take place, Cathey ?

Philip · 17th February 2016, 04:00 AM

Hi, Cathy
Nice example you have here. It's similar to one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY (acc. no. 36.25.2187). These are classic examples of matchlocks of Indo-Portuguese ( or Luso-Indian ) type, a fusion of European and Oriental technology perfected in the Portuguese territory of Goa, India, in the early 16th cent. A brief history:
1. Portugal was unique among western European countries in relying almost exclusively on a snap matchlock whose serpentine was powered by an external leaf spring. The prototype for this is a crude version first made in the late 15th cent. in the German-speaking realm of Bohemia, introduced to Portugal via a trade network involving German merchants (see Daehnhardt, ESPINGARDA FEITICEIRA, pp 49ff & figs.). These rudimentary muskets were widely used by the Portuguese for several decades as they improved their workmanship and design considerably in their own arsenals,

2. Both the German guns and their Portuguese derivatives were brought to the East, and when Portugal established an armory at Goa in the second decade of the 16th cent., Indian craftsmen further modified the design by introducing a very short, almost pistol-like buttstock held against the cheek, not the shoulder, when aiming. They also reduced the caliber and made the gun lighter and more balanced. This was a hit with the Portuguese who did a lot of fighting aboard ship and on river craft, and valued a more compact gun. A sumptuously decorated Goanese gun of this type, ca. 1550, is preserved at the Rustkammer in Dresden (current inv. no. G.1116, formerly S.181 in the 1606 inventory).

3. The Portuguese brought Sri Lanka, parts of the Bengal and Burma coasts, Malaya, and the Indochinese coast under their sway in the years following their conquest of Goa in 1510. Within a decade or two they were in Taiwan and the south China coast. Wherever they went, the locals enthusiastically copied these muskets and made their own versions, differing stylistically but retaining the same mechanicals and the cheek buttstocks.

4. I see from pics of your gun that the serpentine pivot bolt seems to run through the stock and is anchored on the left side via a crosspin. This is a holdover from the primitive Bohemian prototypes, whose serpentine pivots are screwed right into the wooden stock. Most Malay guns have this same arrangement, albeit of much finer craftsmanship. So do most Chinese versions; both areas are believed to have received the technology from the Portuguese in the 1520s-30s.

5. The Portuguese first reached Japan in 1543, they had guns with them and as they say, the rest is history. By then, though, the armorers at Lisbon and Goa had improved on the locks again, this time attaching the serpentine pivot bolt to the lockplate itself. This didn't noticeably improve shooting performance but enabled the entire lock to be removed as a unit, making repairs and maintenance easier. The Japanese guns have this feature. So do Korean matchlocks which are almost identical in all respects, Korea having received musket technology not directly from the Portuguese but rather second-hand from the Japanese as a result of the Hideyoshi invasion of the 1590s.

6. I mentioned above that the artisans at Goa tended to downsize the scale of the weapons in favor of ease of handling and firing (keeping in mind that the muskets of most north European countries weighed as much as 20 lb and required a forked rest under the barrel for a steady aim). However, these Malay guns tend to be long and quite heavy. Actually uncomfortable to hold unsupported when aiming, especially when considering the relative small stature of the people using them. This is in contrast to Indo-Portuguese matchlocks from the rest of Asia, which are generally quite easy to handle and are of manageable size. It is thought by some writers that these firearms were meant to be fired from a defensive posture (as from a parapet) but I'd like to see further research to confirm this. Compared to the field of Malay edged weapons, these firearms have not been well covered in the academic press, and I'm open to any references that fellow forumites may have found that will shed more light on the actual usage of these. (W. Egerton's AN ILLUSTRATED HANDBOOK OF INDIAN ARMS... p 63 has a very interesting quote on the manufacture of gun barrels in Lombok, Java, but says nothing about the use or ethnographic context of the finished product.)

Cathey · 17th February 2016, 07:41 AM

Hi Fernando and Phillip

My talk is scheduled for Friday the 4th of March, I still have plenty of time to ass to it thank goodness.

Thank you Phillip for the background information you have provided. Whilst I have a reasonable library I have found it difficult to gather much information on this particular musket. As I have said I am really a sword enthusiast and my knowledge of firearms is very limited. At least now when I get up to speak I can say more than this is a decorative gun from our collection and I think its from Malaysia.

Cheers

Cathey and Rex

estcrh · 17th February 2016, 07:43 AM

Cathey and Rex, if you get chance can you post the weight of your gun, thanks.

Philip · 17th February 2016, 07:55 AM

Cathey,
Buttstocks on these Malay guns come in two basic shapes. One is like yours, essentially flat-ended. You see a variation of this style on guns from central and southern Vietnam as well. The other has a contour with, as you describe, circular cutouts. This has some similarity to some (not all) Japanese and Korean stocks.

On the Malay matchlocks, there are noticeable differences in the style of decoration on the brass parts, between examples displaying the two buttstock variations. There may be a regional factor, since the stylistic differences are pretty consistent. Try as I might, to date I've not been able to find any publication which analyzes these variations and tries to pin them down to any specific areas in the archipelago.

fernando · 17th February 2016, 12:44 PM

Great input, Philip.
It is so good when we call for the Cavalry and it gets there in no time

.

fernando · 17th February 2016, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cathey

... At least now when I get up to speak I can say more than this is a decorative gun from our collection and I think its from Malaysia...

And you may also tell them that the term ESPINGARDA is still the name currently used in portuguese for shoulder guns

.

Cathey · 21st February 2016, 05:43 AM

Hi Philip and Fernando

Thanks for your continuing assistance. We have just weighed the gun and it has come in at 4.7kg. Heavier than I thought it would be.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

Cathey · 21st February 2016, 06:30 AM

Hi Philip,

I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the age of this particular gun, I thought perhaps 18th to early 19th Century?

Cheers Cathey and Rex

fernando · 21st February 2016, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cathey

... I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the age of this particular gun, I thought perhaps 18th to early 19th Century?...

Ah, this takes a real expert; maybe Philip is able to discern that, judging by the photos and not having it in hand.
The thing is that, contrary to Western weapons, Eastern models may go on for centuries maintaning the same characteristics; thus their age may not be attributed by their design but by subtle details, like finishing perfection and other such details.

estcrh · 21st February 2016, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cathey

Hi Philip and Fernando

Thanks for your continuing assistance. We have just weighed the gun and it has come in at 4.7kg. Heavier than I thought it would be.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

4.7 kg. or 10.36 lb., that is a heavy gun, thanks for the weight.

fernando · 21st February 2016, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estcrh

4.7 kg. or 10.36 lb., that is a heavy gun, thanks for the weight.

Yes, heavy and surely long; probably around 170 cms.
Although the term 'satinggar' itself is a corruption of portuguese 'espingarda', some sources pretend that such corruption comes 'espingardão' which means large espingarda; however this is questionable, not only for the term construction but also because 'espingardão' is the name attributed to an even larger and sturdier gun, often used for defence, its barrel resting on (fortification) walls, due to its dimension.
This to say that, in any case, the dimensions of the type in discussion, although being a 'portable' gun, would easy call for a resting fork when in assault or the mentioned wall when used in defence. Maybe Philip could have a say on this issue.

17th February 2016, 04:00 AM	#2
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	thumbnail history of Indo-Portuguese matchlocks Hi, Cathy Nice example you have here. It's similar to one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY (acc. no. 36.25.2187). These are classic examples of matchlocks of Indo-Portuguese ( or Luso-Indian ) type, a fusion of European and Oriental technology perfected in the Portuguese territory of Goa, India, in the early 16th cent. A brief history: 1. Portugal was unique among western European countries in relying almost exclusively on a snap matchlock whose serpentine was powered by an external leaf spring. The prototype for this is a crude version first made in the late 15th cent. in the German-speaking realm of Bohemia, introduced to Portugal via a trade network involving German merchants (see Daehnhardt, ESPINGARDA FEITICEIRA, pp 49ff & figs.). These rudimentary muskets were widely used by the Portuguese for several decades as they improved their workmanship and design considerably in their own arsenals, 2. Both the German guns and their Portuguese derivatives were brought to the East, and when Portugal established an armory at Goa in the second decade of the 16th cent., Indian craftsmen further modified the design by introducing a very short, almost pistol-like buttstock held against the cheek, not the shoulder, when aiming. They also reduced the caliber and made the gun lighter and more balanced. This was a hit with the Portuguese who did a lot of fighting aboard ship and on river craft, and valued a more compact gun. A sumptuously decorated Goanese gun of this type, ca. 1550, is preserved at the Rustkammer in Dresden (current inv. no. G.1116, formerly S.181 in the 1606 inventory). 3. The Portuguese brought Sri Lanka, parts of the Bengal and Burma coasts, Malaya, and the Indochinese coast under their sway in the years following their conquest of Goa in 1510. Within a decade or two they were in Taiwan and the south China coast. Wherever they went, the locals enthusiastically copied these muskets and made their own versions, differing stylistically but retaining the same mechanicals and the cheek buttstocks. 4. I see from pics of your gun that the serpentine pivot bolt seems to run through the stock and is anchored on the left side via a crosspin. This is a holdover from the primitive Bohemian prototypes, whose serpentine pivots are screwed right into the wooden stock. Most Malay guns have this same arrangement, albeit of much finer craftsmanship. So do most Chinese versions; both areas are believed to have received the technology from the Portuguese in the 1520s-30s. 5. The Portuguese first reached Japan in 1543, they had guns with them and as they say, the rest is history. By then, though, the armorers at Lisbon and Goa had improved on the locks again, this time attaching the serpentine pivot bolt to the lockplate itself. This didn't noticeably improve shooting performance but enabled the entire lock to be removed as a unit, making repairs and maintenance easier. The Japanese guns have this feature. So do Korean matchlocks which are almost identical in all respects, Korea having received musket technology not directly from the Portuguese but rather second-hand from the Japanese as a result of the Hideyoshi invasion of the 1590s. 6. I mentioned above that the artisans at Goa tended to downsize the scale of the weapons in favor of ease of handling and firing (keeping in mind that the muskets of most north European countries weighed as much as 20 lb and required a forked rest under the barrel for a steady aim). However, these Malay guns tend to be long and quite heavy. Actually uncomfortable to hold unsupported when aiming, especially when considering the relative small stature of the people using them. This is in contrast to Indo-Portuguese matchlocks from the rest of Asia, which are generally quite easy to handle and are of manageable size. It is thought by some writers that these firearms were meant to be fired from a defensive posture (as from a parapet) but I'd like to see further research to confirm this. Compared to the field of Malay edged weapons, these firearms have not been well covered in the academic press, and I'm open to any references that fellow forumites may have found that will shed more light on the actual usage of these. (W. Egerton's AN ILLUSTRATED HANDBOOK OF INDIAN ARMS... p 63 has a very interesting quote on the manufacture of gun barrels in Lombok, Java, but says nothing about the use or ethnographic context of the finished product.)

17th February 2016, 07:55 AM	#5
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	buttstock shapes Cathey, Buttstocks on these Malay guns come in two basic shapes. One is like yours, essentially flat-ended. You see a variation of this style on guns from central and southern Vietnam as well. The other has a contour with, as you describe, circular cutouts. This has some similarity to some (not all) Japanese and Korean stocks. On the Malay matchlocks, there are noticeable differences in the style of decoration on the brass parts, between examples displaying the two buttstock variations. There may be a regional factor, since the stylistic differences are pretty consistent. Try as I might, to date I've not been able to find any publication which analyzes these variations and tries to pin them down to any specific areas in the archipelago.

21st February 2016, 05:43 AM	#8
Cathey Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: adelaide south australia Posts: 284	Weight of the gun Hi Philip and Fernando Thanks for your continuing assistance. We have just weighed the gun and it has come in at 4.7kg. Heavier than I thought it would be. Cheers Cathey and Rex

21st February 2016, 06:30 AM	#9
Cathey Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: adelaide south australia Posts: 284	Age of this example Hi Philip, I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the age of this particular gun, I thought perhaps 18th to early 19th Century? Cheers Cathey and Rex

16th February 2016, 05:24 PM	#1
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	When will your talk take place, Cathey ?

17th February 2016, 07:41 AM	#3
Cathey Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: adelaide south australia Posts: 284	Hi Fernando and Phillip My talk is scheduled for Friday the 4th of March, I still have plenty of time to ass to it thank goodness. Thank you Phillip for the background information you have provided. Whilst I have a reasonable library I have found it difficult to gather much information on this particular musket. As I have said I am really a sword enthusiast and my knowledge of firearms is very limited. At least now when I get up to speak I can say more than this is a decorative gun from our collection and I think its from Malaysia. Cheers Cathey and Rex

17th February 2016, 07:43 AM	#4
estcrh Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: USA Posts: 1,492	Cathey and Rex, if you get chance can you post the weight of your gun, thanks.

17th February 2016, 12:44 PM	#6
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Great input, Philip. It is so good when we call for the Cavalry and it gets there in no time .