Bronze Mortar Model Marked "1530"

Matchlock · 21st January 2012, 04:58 PM

Hi John,

This a very unusual item indeed and rare to find in any museum!

As the date 1530 is cast and chiseled in high relief against a dotted ground, and the cyphers are of correct Early Renaisance form, it must have been cast together with the mortar. The no. 54 stamped at the muzzle is certainly of later date, probably 17th or 18th c.

The rocker base is rarely to be found but not totally unknown.

The most renowned centers of bronze cannon casting at that time were Innsbruck/The Tyrol, as well as Nuremberg and Augsburg in South Germany. I am quite sure that his was just a workshop model for display and to acquire orders and then cast the real thing in much larger scale.

Best,
Michael

21st January 2012, 04:58 PM	#2
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Hi John, This a very unusual item indeed and rare to find in any museum! As the date 1530 is cast and chiseled in high relief against a dotted ground, and the cyphers are of correct Early Renaisance form, it must have been cast together with the mortar. The no. 54 stamped at the muzzle is certainly of later date, probably 17th or 18th c. The rocker base is rarely to be found but not totally unknown. The most renowned centers of bronze cannon casting at that time were Innsbruck/The Tyrol, as well as Nuremberg and Augsburg in South Germany. I am quite sure that his was just a workshop model for display and to acquire orders and then cast the real thing in much larger scale. Best, Michael Last edited by Matchlock; 21st January 2012 at 09:59 PM.