292 photos of cannon models in French museums

[cannonmn]

Anyone interested in more detail on the Arty museum in Lisbon? A gent named Steven H. Smith posts on the "Napoleon Series" forum and has posted quite a few topics on Portuguese artillery. Some are links to Google books on the subject, some are links to photos in various museums in Portugal, and of interest here is a link he posted to a Google book which was an old catalog of the Lisbon museum. If you cannot find it in a reasonable amt of time I could go back and hunt for it. Steven has posted many topics there on Spanish and other countries' artillery as well, usually Google books but more recently some items from the newly-digitized Spanish State Archives.

Also thanks to Fernando for posting those "illegal" photos of the Lisbon museum! What a waste the Portuguese gov't is making, all those rare wonderful cannons and to refuse to share the images with the world? Tragic.

The curious mortar in the last photo is certainly a Portuguese bronze mortar, but mounted on what appears to be an Indonesian-motif locally-made mortar bed. That's one of those "to die for" pieces; extraordinary.

[GIO]

Originally Posted by cannonmn

.

The curious mortar in the last photo is certainly a Portuguese bronze mortar, but mounted on what appears to be an Indonesian-motif locally-made mortar bed. That's one of those "to die for" pieces; extraordinary.

More than Indonesian, I would say Chinese, IMHO

[fernando]

Originally Posted by GIO

More than Indonesian, I would say Chinese, IMHO

Yes, a Howitzer cast in the Lisbon arsenal, taken to Macau and brought back on a bed featuring two Chinese dragons.
I am waiting for an email from the Military Museum with a more precise ( if so ) description.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by cannonmn

... Also thanks to Fernando for posting those "illegal" photos of the Lisbon museum! What a waste the Portuguese gov't is making, all those rare wonderful cannons and to refuse to share the images with the world? Tragic..

Well, no more tragic than usual ... unfortunately . Somehow a backward attitude but then, a zillion museums out there also still don't allow picture taking ... some of them only allowing pictures without flash or tripod. The pictures i posted here of the Museum cannon yard were not "illegal"; there is no restriction for picturing in the open space ... only inside the rooms. They say that, if one is interested in taking pictures in the rooms, a requirement must be addressed to the Museum Director (Colonel) .

Originally Posted by cannonmn

... The curious mortar in the last photo is certainly a Portuguese bronze mortar, but mounted on what appears to be an Indonesian-motif locally-made mortar bed. That's one of those "to die for" pieces; extraordinary.

I have received a very attentive email from a (she) Sub-Lieutenat of the museologic section. She passed me the whole inventory description tag:
A small bronze howitzer of gross calibre dated from 1773, cast by Bartolomeu Dias da Costa , to be used essentially in curve shot. Provided with trunnions and wings in form of dolphins. On the breech are the Royal Crest and the insription "Mel. GOMES De CARVALHO E Sº TENE GERAL DA ARTra DO Rno" and below " O Tene CORONEL BARTOLOMEU DA COSTA EM LXa 1773".
It is mounted in an pompous bed of polichromed wood, tipicaly Chinese, sided by two lions.
This fire mouth was sent to Macau and, by the end of XVIII century, was returned, mounted on the mentioned bed.
Caliber 15 cms.
Date: XVIII century (1773)
Origin:Portugal.