Handgonne Barrels and Böllers
 

A new member, Silver Shield, not yet familiar with the forum thread/posting mechanisms, has required help to start this thread.
Here is his text ... and images:

There seems to be a link in a traditional instrument of celebratory sound making and a instrument of WAR . After a rather short period of stylistic study that came about rather by accident , I believe I have reviewed a large enough sample to be able to make some remarks and share the insight I have hoped to gain. I put forth these few words and hope they bring some little knowledge about this continuity of style and interesting relationship between two rather different objects.

In areas of mountainous Germany and Austria there persisted until quite recently a folk custom of celebratory sound making used to mark such events such as church holidays, cultural evens and occasions , and even for family and personal events ! These are called "Bollers " generally. Made of foraged Iron usually ,almost always 8 sided ,very slightly tapered , flaring usually to the base , and a common bore size being about 2.5 cm and common height 14cm to about 25cm. Some Bollers getting to 43cm or more . What struck me about these objects was their similarity in style to and dimensions to some "Handgonne Barrels" of the early 1400s. I had to go through a hundred of these to find just one medieval "Barrel" for my collection and it caught my interest ,why ? After the kindness of a friend in Austria who happen to have bought a collection of " Bollers" , I suddenly by chance had the opportunity to study a fairly large collection of Bollers that where made over a large time frame and from a area that was somewhat isolated in terms of cultural exchange .Finally also I was able to compare not only a historical sample but also stylistic lineage What I saw shocked me , some of the Bollers where almost identical to early 1400s "Handgonne Barrels " in size and caliber . And after a study of over 100 objects in this sample alone , a very clear picture was seen that shows something of the human condition and continuity .
My theory and belief , supported by evidence and some little study is that not only was the tradition of " Boller " use in these areas started by the acquisition of surplus Handgonne Barrels by these populations, but until somewhat recently "Handgonne Barrels" of the early 1400s where still being used and copied !This being a testament to the design of such, that a 600 year plus run of this basic design speaks some volumes of its merits and history . My belief is that sometime after the Hussite Wars of 1419 to 1434 , these surplus Handgonne barrels where obtained by populations of these areas and a practical use was found for these relics of War.The barrels in my collection from this sample all date by style to within this time frame most certainly . In both early "Bollers" and "Handgonne Barrels" a common size is about 14cm in height a bore size of about 1.8cm to 2.5cm , some Barrels possibly being rebored . The small sample of Handgonne Barrels I obtained and had seen good quality photographs of show on some a very hurried production without details such as facets of the Barrels being evenly hammered or Bores being centered , certainly made by skilled metal smiths has to imply war time emergency production . The "touch hole " of many Barrels had sometime after there initial period of use as a "Gonne", a "cup" struck down from the" touch hole ", to keep gunpowder from falling out when the barrels where stood straight up , that is to make a "Flash Pan " .This feature of a "Flash Pan" being a standard design element on " Bollers" made later for customary use . Many later " Bollers" even had struck into the " Barrels " designs to imply use as firework instruments . These also where not made as "Powder Testers" or "Cannon " as implied in many sales attempts , but where in effect " Firework Tubes".


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A second post by the same author ...
 

Fernando, i bow to yours and the late Michael T.s knowledge of subject . I was so sad when i saw he had passed, i would have loved to learn so much from the man and he seemed so giving of knowledge. I read with joy every post and learned so much, they validated my own assumptions on a piece, my first bought from this hoard to be a "Gonne Barrel " not a Boller. But i of course made my mistakes, but i studied and read and researched, even days, hours. But i do disagree with a assumption That Michael T. made as my studies in Art History and forging techniques lead me, that is the transition from round barrels to Hexagonal / Octagonal being from the period of Gothic cultural influence. I believe and think it is evident that it was a change in forging technique not style, from use of winding iron around a mandrel and heat welding together, beating a rounded form together, and the later technique of heat welding plates together. It's simply easier to hammer flat then rounded surfaces, requires less time in hammering and finishing, seats in its stock more firmly and bands more firmly. It really i think its evident and obvious. As they say in design" form follows function".

Yours with all humility ,
Michael Pechacek Sr.
Phoenix AZ
USA

Fernando and Michael,

Thank you for this very interesting topic!
Welcome Michael, and I do hope in time you show us some photographs of these interesting little pieces.

I had seen a form of Blunderbuss used in the Germanic lands for such a 'noise -making' purpose, but was totally ignorant of the little Bollers.

Thank you both for starting this thread!

Re. Michael T. His loss seems with time, to be more acute than ever.

Kind regards,
Richard.

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your post, i hope you will be showing us your collection very soon.

Quit a good thesis, Michael Trömner would have approved of most of it i am sure. ;)

My personal view on Böller and hand cannons is that the latter does not have a wide base (relative to the normal width of the barrel) and there is also no real powder pan.
After the 1400s the hand cannons where more and more mass produced, all of the "feuerwerk und Kriegsbuche" (firework and war books) from the 1390-1500 depict that multiple barrels on one stock was more common than just one single barrel. Quit alot of those have indeed been turned into Böller or even doorstoppers :o

Hand Gonnes and Pictures
 

My Pictures will be posted and additional text soon , showing basic relationship , especially design continuity .Also I have in my collection a piece I have that seems certainly to be a mimic of a handgonne barrel , made much later . Pictures will show comparison between a almost identical handgonne barrel of the early 1400s and the mimic , which I am sure will shock some collectors and interested parties . But what else would you expect , if indeed the traditional use and model for boller where handgonne barrels ?

A. Handgonne barrel and Mimic
Barrel weight 1.282kg
length 14cm
width at bore aprox. 4.2 cm at base 5cm
bore aprox 2.3cm
octagonal -8 sided

Mimic Boller
weight 1.454kg
length aprox. 14.3
width at bore 4.3cm at base 4.8
bore 2cm
hexagonal - 6 sided
Notice uneven faces of gonne barrel , with rounded facets , but very sharp well defined facets on boller !

B. Handgoone barrel and mimic
Bore face showing rounded shoulders and uneven bore hole of gonne barrel , while boller has very well rounded bore , and well centered


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Gonne Barrels vs Boller
 

Some pictures of "Gonne Barrels " of the type seen circa early to mid 1400s Verses comparisons with a small boller that mimics the features of gonne barrels, all from the same area of Austria . The gonne barrels all exhibit 8 sides, some rounding of the facets , bores from about 1.8cm to approximately 2cm, all with somewhat out of round bores . From left to right weights ; .970kg, 1.282kg, 2.258kg ,2.112kg . The lengths from left to right aprox. ; 13.8cm ,14cm, 22cm,13.2cm. . The "Mimic" boller barrel is 14cm with a bore of 2cm , 6 sided , and very near perfect round . the vents or touchholes of the gonne barrels , also do not have a pushed up flash pan , although the small barrel , the 1st on the left has a small sulcus in front of its vent ,certainly forged or made during its construction ,presumed to be a early form of powder pan , and the very squat barrel on the far right has cone at the vent that is inverted to hold a small amount of residual powder to certainly get a better fire . It will be noted that Pictures of the " Mimic" barrel the flash pan has been pushed up to form a cup that would be useless when barrel was in a horizontal position , and would only be useful if barrel was in a vertical or upright position and the evidence of not only time but use show that the barrel was used contemporaneously with this feature , as pitting and other indications are consistent over the whole body of the barrel and cascade down into the area towards the vent where the material was removed to push up the pan. Also enough cannot be said about the apparent similarities with the gonne barrels , as far as overall design , but also the very different overall workmanship and apparent precision of forging .
1st picture showing 4 presumed gonne barrels , the 2nd with addition of mimic , the 3rd a close up of vent and flash pan of mimic boller .

Some more Comparisons
 

Here is a few more pictures , again of bollers and barrels from the same hoard from the same area of Austria , comparisons of shape , vents , and details .

Pictures #1 side by side comparison of two bollers , one the "Mimic " the other a 24.5cm high octagonal classic style boller , notice the cut of the flashpan is identical .So is the signs of forging, forging details such as crisp facets , but the larger one has the base widened to for a stand as it is . The signs of age also match very well , as to be frightening ! I believe both are most likely 18th to 19th century .
Picture #2 the two bollers side by side , the "Mimic" 14cm tall the Classic Boller 24.5cm tall , notice the design struck into the sides of the large boller showing evidence of its actual use , Fireworks !!
Picture #3 comparison of bore face on both bollers , rounded shoulders , very round bore , Large boiler 2.7cm bore , small "Mimic " bore of 2cm
Pictures #4 and #5 comparison of vent holes between two of the handgonne barrels that seem to be undisturbed and the classic large boller , though the squat one does have a cut down on the vent .

Now the lines become blurred. With these last pictures and the pictures posted before ,you can see the similarities between a classic form "Boller" and examples of "Handgonne Barrels ", showing there relationship in both design and origin. Pictured is examples of 2 " Barrels " with round seemingly untouched vents and re-venting in other examples done exactly the same way as on "Classic Bollers " , the same tool marks , and remember from the same area in Austria ! We know for a fact that 15th century handgonne barrels where used as " Bollers" and certainly where the origin of these devices , what else would a peasant have access to , to load with a powder charge and fire , to ever start the tradition ? Why would later "Bollers" follow these barrels in design so much , that they are common even mistaken by collectors as "Gonne Barrels" Many barrels you see on market now , original ones from the 1400s , have a later use cup shaped flash pan cut out of the area of the touch hole to facilitate easier lighting when Tube is placed in a upright position . Such little design elements such as rounding of the bore face , and flaring base continued , though in the classic examples of " Bollers " you see a actual base forged flat and with extended edges to offer a more stable platform .In the example photos comparing, the suspect early "Boller" example with a Classic 18th or 19th Century " Boller" You can see even the hole in the forging has similarities , and the forging characteristics are too strong to not take notice of . In my humble opinion , taking into account all evidence I've seen in photos and in hand , the "Mimic " barrel , a item made to and in much if not the same way as " Handgonne Barrels " was made to augment the supply of " Bollers " people using these for generations over hundreds of years , would have lost track of the original purpose of the devices they used as "Bollers " if one went to the blacksmith and asked for him to make you a " Boller" presented him with a " Handgonne Barrel " , if he was skilled you'd get a copy , a close copy , after all these Barrels would have been all that was know and used for generations , at least until the original supply was exhausted or need supplement. Another interesting thought is , why where these objects valued enough not to be recycled especially into weapons at war time ? , you would think with the many wars in this region that at one point they would have been used in a Cannon or Tank !

My conclusion and statement on this subject is as follows; Handgonne Barrels , most likely spoils of War , and a good candidate is I believe the Hussite Wars of 1419 to 1434 where the origin of the " Boller". The existing Medieval Gonne Barrels from these mountainous areas in Austria , and Southern Germany fit the types used then. That within a generation they found use as a cultural celebratory device , and gained a practical and cultural value above their material value. For the reason of their cultural use , these original Medieval Handgonne Barrels in secluded areas where preserved and used , over time the supply was replenished and design was improved for their usage. It is important to note that Iron will deteriorate when exposed to the elements , left in the outdoors , not protected they would and some show many years of neglect , but these pieces must have had value as a heritage and family heirloom to be preserved as the small portion of original 1400s pieces show , they seem not to be the property of Church or State but property of the general population , and thanks to these values they exist for us to enjoy . Be careful and study the subject and those objects around it , not only in form , use, material and way of manufacture but also in cultural aspects , all of these have valuable insights into common histories.Most of what Mankind does is just a repeat of the past.

Great stuff, Michael. Somehow a specific subject, and perhaps not reaching the interest of other than hand cannon (and similar) lovers. No doubt Matchlock, if he was with us, would be the first one to react and offer his thoughts about your thesis.
I would risk to say that part of your conclusions find relation with discussions already exchanged here. When you assume that böllers (noise makers to put it simple) and their familiarity with gonne barrels have their origin in the mountains of Austria and Germany, am i silly to suggest that these devices also played a role in other nations ?. I have a number of those in my little collection and i would venture that their provenance is not Germanic or from such neighborhood.
It would also be fair to subscribe Marcus assumption in that, despite böllers derive from gonne barrels, they found their own path by adopting a form more according with their upright firing position, with their wider base, something not so propper to find in gonne barrels.
Also i would not be so restrict in assuming that these 'tubes' only had one purpose; one would accept that they were not powder testers or cannons, but it is rather plausible they were also used for (navy) signals and certainly as defence traps. But i admit i never studied these things in depth and may be talking a lot of nonsense.


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A small area study
 

Fernando you are 100% correct in all your statements. I have only meant to imply , that in these small somewhat isolated areas the history of relationship between gonne barrels and bollers , may have been preserved, from these areas . I think it would be ridiculous to imply that these devices never where used in other ways. And I have no knowledge of other European boller types in a fixed and large sample over a long time period . My other point was why so many medieval gonne barrels where persevered in a small geographical area , dating from the same 30 year or so period , and of the same general type . The point about , being made for or as , was a response to auctions commonly calling bollers hand cannon !

A procession in Corfu by Joseph Cartwright, 1821. Interestingly, these pyrotechnic devices were called in the Ionian Islands mascoula, from the Italian mascolo, meaning the removable breech block or the breech chamber of early guns.
Andreas

Most interesting pictures Andreas. Thanks for sharing.