Two Extremely Rare Small BOMBARDS, Early 15th Century

[Matchlock]

More of the Salzburg bombard.

Next I wish to introduce a similar but differently stocked bombard/Steinbüchse, preserved in the museum in Weißenburg, Bavaria.
Actually, small barrels stocked this way mostly were alcove cannons (German: Mauerbüchsen), kept, loaded and primed, on the towers and walls of a town or castle, but preferably were placed to defend the gate(s). Placed this way, they were permanently kept ready to get fired with either a red hot igniting iron (Loseisen) or a linstock clamped with a length of glowing matchcord, when the place got attacked by enemies.

A highly important, small Late Gothic (ca. mid 15th c.) alcove cannon retaining its original oak stock (!) is in my collection:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=alcove+cannon


Please note that detached 600 year-old barrels of guns are not that rare. What really is sensationally rare are completely preserved guns from that period, retaining their original stocks!

For more on igniting irons, linstocks and matchcord, please see my threads
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...igniting+irons
and
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...igniting+irons


The barrel and iron mounts retaining traces of their original red minium (red lead) paint.
The barrel is early 15th century, ca. 1410-30, while the crudely wrought oaken stock dates from the end of the 15th c.; when I told the museum that the piece was restocked at some later during its long working life, they would not believe me - museums! Grrr ...
Well, they had the wood dendrochronogically analyzed - and my theory was proved right. The results are attached at the bottom.

The breech is struck behind the touch hole with a Late Gothic symbol, consisting of rings forming a cross.

The measurements: overall length 61.3 cm, the barrel 31.6 cm, length of the widened forward section receiving the stone ball (German: Flug) 26.0 cm.
At the moment, I cannot access parts of my photo library comprising more than 280,000 photos of early firearms that I took in museums over more than 35 years, and especially in their reserve collections that are not accessible normally. Thus I cannot look up the bore etc.

All author's photos.

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