A Unique Portuguese Wheel-lock Pistol, ca. 1580, Hermitage Museum St. Petersburg

[Matchlock]

Stocked in finely carved ivory (and this is one of the very few pieces that are not inlaid with staghorn or bone which is only commonly called 'ivory'), with scroll butt and the characteristic Portuguese type of wheel-lock, together with its profusely carved iron spanner.

Found on the web.

Do you like it, 'Nando?

Best,
Michael

[fernando]

Fantabulous .
Unquestionably a masterpiece .
This is for you, Michl, who thought only Bavarians could produce specimens of such level .

[Matchlock]

Hi 'Nando,

Actually I hope I have not been all that prejudiced although I must admit this is by far the finest Portuguese piece I've ever seen. What's even more, I guess it's been unrecorded up to now.

Best, my friend,
Michl

[fernando]

Dear Michl,
Naturaly i am most thankful for you sharing the picture of this phenomenal piece, which i will save to my records.
As a matter of fact, having the Portuguese adventured so intensely around the world a few centuries ago, it is only obvious that they have developed their own weaponry might and school tendences.
What has happened to such weaponry, is another story; from disasters like the 1755 earthquake, which devoured a great part of Lisbon estate and valuables, passing through early XIX century Napoleonic devastations and paralel British appropriations, until modern times, where even museum officials were able to offer (and sell) rare specimens, which found their way to the vaults of private (and museum) collections, weapon masterpieces, which were not so difficult to spot, became a rare animal.
On the other hand, weapon smith skills were not forgotten, although their number has drasticaly decreased.
Here you have a magnificent pistol, with a completeley chiseled gold buttstock, made in the Lisbon Royal Arsenal in the first half XIX century, most probably by Master Thomas josé de Freitas, which belonged to Infant (later King) Dom Miguel, now kept in the Royal Palace of Ajuda.
Pictures are not so good, as they are result of scanning one of my books.

.

.

[Anandalal N.]

Dear Michael,

Thank you for posting this. I wonder if we have any possibility of getting better images of the carving. It has been suggested to me by one authority on the subject that the early ivory carved butts in Dutch firearms appear only subsequent to the Dutch arrival in Ceylon. Now you have posted a Portuguese one which as you have indicated has managed to remain hidden until you discovered it. You may also have seen the fabulous carved Ivory boxes from Ceylon in Dutch and Portuguese Museums.

Any idea where this item is presently housed? As you know in the 1930s and also during the II World War; the Hermitage Collections were disturbed.

Regards.

[Matchlock]

This is indeed another striking sample of finest Portuguese firearms!

Do you happen to know what the hinged domed butt finial contained? Cleaning accouterments, spare flints?

Best,
'Dom' Miguel

[fernando]

I hope this is not a bucket of cold water
After an instant investigation, i have confirmed the smith and owner provenance, but also found out this is a solid gold non functional example, apparently for shooting parfum or the like.
The hinged finial would contain social habits stuff like smelling salts.
As a 'compensation', i will now post a nice 1570 Lisbon wheel-lock.

.

[celtan]

Ola', Dom Miguel e Dom Fernando,

Seems like a product from Goa or Macau.

Source?

M

[Matchlock]

Ola', Dom Manuel,

As to the source: I found it on (and saved it from) somewhere on the web.

Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

Originally Posted by fernando

I hope this is not a bucket of cold water
After an instant investigation, i have confirmed the smith and owner provenance, but also found out this is a solid gold non functional example, apparently for shooting parfum or the like.
The hinged finial would contain social habits stuff like smelling salts.
As a 'compensation', i will now post a nice 1570 Lisbon wheel-lock.

.

Ola', 'Nando,

Fully agreed, my friend.

This, as well as the pistol I posted, may be as early as the 1560's. The advanced Renaissance period is known for its funny predilections of making fun of guns by building alikes of them as liqor, wine, or perfume containers.

I add a wine container made of silver, in the style of a ca. 1580 matchlock musket, 1627, from the possession of the Elector Georg Wilhelm of Brandenburg, Prussia, preserved in the Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin. The actual overall length is 1,17m, and the German expression for such items is Scherzgefässe (funny containers).

Best, Michael