Dating Earliest Barrels: the Importance of the Position of the Touch Hole

[Matchlock]

Next to my haquebut barrel dated 1481 (see above), here is another important and dated piece, the breech struck with the date 1507. It is for a long, heavy-weight wall gun (doppelter Doppelhaken), starting octagonal at the breech and changing to a round section at about one fourth of its length, emphasized by an incised double line. If it were not dated, 'ca. 1500 or beginning of the 16th c.' would have been my classification based on the above-mentioned criteria. The touch hole is on the right-hand side, and a long dovetail behind the igniting hole denotes that once a pan had been attached that is missing today. That pan, as well as the two barrel loops, most probably were added in its working life, ca. 1530, when that barrel obviously was re-used with a full stock.
Above the rear of the breech, a maker's mark, showing the earliest use of initials I have ever noted on any barrel, IV in a square shield, has been deeply struck three times in the Gothic tradition, symbolizing the stylistic trefoil element. There is another dovetail on the rear top of the barrel, for a rear sight (missing), and also at the rear there is the earliest type of a barrel tang (Schwanzschraube), in all probability also added in ca. 1530. We may assume that originally in 1507, there was a long rear socket for a wooden tiller, and the piercing of the rectangular hook served for mounting the piece on a tripod. The muzzle is bell-mouthed.
Overall length 145.5 cm, bore 40 mm!
It was sold Hermann Historica, Munich, exactly 500 years after it was made, 2 May 2007.

[Matchlock]

This crudely made piece is really hard to date, c. 1500, I woud say.
It retained its original tiller stock, showing an early shape of primitive buttstock nailed to the socket of the stout, round barrel, which featured a raised fire shield and hollowed touch hole of 5 mm diameter on top, a rectangular hook and a slightly swamped muzzle.
An old inventory no. was painted in red on the underside of the buttstock.
It was only 88 cm long, weighing 8 kg.
It was sold Bonhams London, 1 Dec 2009.

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[Matchlock]

More of that willfully shaped haquebut.

[Matchlock]

This heavy three-staged wrought-iron haquebut wall gun barrel (Doppelhaken), ca. 1530-40, was wrought octagonally at both the breech and the elongated muzzle section bearing a blade foresight, with a long, round mid-section in between. The beginning of the swamped muzzle section was highlighted by a roped frieze. The breech featured the most unusual rear sight that I have ever noticed (now damaged). The three relatively finely made barrel loops and the dovetailed rectangular pan, its cover missing, all indicate a rather late date of make. The long, rectangular hook is no longer pierced. No doubt, this barrel was made for a full stock.
Overal length 121.4 cm, bore 2.8 cm.
Sold Bonhams London, 1 April 2004.

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[Matchlock]

On 15 Dec 2004, Sotheby's London sold part of the armory of Schloss Fronsberg, Styria, comprising a number of Austrian military matchlock muskets, late Thirty Years War period, ca. 1645, the stocks totally unvarnished (the finest of them now being in my collection), plus a large number of broken stocks of wheellock and matchlock muskets, basically only the buttstocks present, with the barrels all missing.
Three of the lots, 157, 159 and 160, contained a total of five earlier stocks, all preserved in 'untouched' but heavily damaged condition, of Styrian haquebuts of ca. 1540, the tinderlock mechanisms retained but partly incomplete, with the barrels all gone. Each of those three lots fetched a tremendous price although all they comprised were mere fragments, mostly of early- to mid-17th c. wheellock and matchlock guns, plus a few detached barrels belonging to none of the fragments!

Well, I found out that somebody from Portugal, whom I had got to know many years ago, bought all those lots on the phone without even having viewed them or ordered lots of photos - the way I did. He told me he was planning on completing all those relicts and selling them. I replied that I had my sincere doubts whether that would work. He offered me the worst preserved of the five early stocks for 12.500 euro, which I rejected. So I kept watching out.

On 26 Nov 2008, two of those formerly fragmentary stocks and locks entered the auction at Bonhams London, furnished with a brandnew coat of paint, and 'completed' with iron dummy barrels the bores of which were drilled only for a short length! They were described correctly by David Wiliams and, of course, did not sell.
The first piece attached was the result of a completely incompetent 'restoration', the tinderlock serpentine, trigger and trigger guard all made in 17th c. style, instead of the original ca. 1540 shape, even though it came from Fronsberg with that 17th c. trigger and guard. The second retained its damaged tinder holder and long tiller trigger (bent).

But the story goes on.

On 17 Oct 2010, the two pieces showed up at Hermann Historica's, Munich, lots 2017 and 2028, where they failed to sell.
On 4 Nov 2013, one of those dummies was unsold again at Hermann Historica's sale in Munich, lot 21. Once more, the catalog text stated that the barrel actually was a dummy.
They continue making their round on the market, though.



Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

The first ca. 1375-1400, sold Christie's Rome, June 18, 1975.

A so-called Steinbüchse, wrought of wound band iron (cf. the Aljubarrota barrels) but of more archaic form, with small breech (Pulverkammer) and wider forword piece (Flug) to receive either an incendiary arrow (Büchsen-Brandpfeil) or a limestone ball.
Overall length 23 cm.

Originally probably attached to a stock by two iron bands.
Its present whereabouts unknown.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...handgonne+iron



Another, important and finely wrought Steinbüchse for throwing limestone balls or incendiary arrows, also ca. 1375-1400, segmented, with various reinforced sections, round throughout, large touch hole at rear top end, the breech and a reinforced segment punched with Gothic trefoils and a row of circles, the wide muzzle section struck on top with the Cross of St. George, which might be an indication of a Swiss origin.
Mounted with a swiveling ring for suspension, possibly for a horseman of the kind depicted in a mid-15th c. drawing (attached).
Overall length 34.2 cm.
Sold Sotheby's London, 8 Dec 1988, lot 276.

Best,
m

[Matchlock]

This and similar pieces have made their way through the market on various continents. In an U.S. auction it allegedly sold at 4,000 USD on 3 Dec 2010, but failed to sell at Hermann Historica, Munich, on 4 May 2004 at an estimate of 2,800 euro.
The overall length is 28.5 cm, the weight 3.72 kg.

In my opinion, some joker drove two barrels, wrought of wound band iron, and of Aljubarrota type into each other; the rectangular barrel loop at the end of the larger barrel seems to be an 18th/19th c. addition.


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