Malaysian matchlock musket (satinggar espingarda)

[Cathey]

Hi Guys

I am far from a gun expert and I need to give a brief and hopefully interesting talk on this Malaysian matchlock. I am hoping someone out there might be able to help me. I believe this gun is a Matchlock musket (satinggar espingarda) with snapping lock, Malaysian, 18th century. It has a plain Octagonal Barrel, polished blackwood stock, lock and mountings of heavy chased brass and appears to emulate the Japanese Teppo.

References:
George Cameron Stone, A Glossary Of The Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor.1934, p. 264, fig. 326.
Robert Elgood, Firearms Of The Islamic World...,1995. pp. 188-189, fig. 129

I did find a vague reference to these guns being used by the Portuguese to repel the attacks from the locals, which I have been unable to explore further. Also if anyone can tell me what the two dangling things are hanging from the lock I would be most grateful.

Essentially any additional details that can be provided to jazz up the description and story behind this gun will be most welcome.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

[Cathey]

Please can someone respond to this thread, I am desperate for information, cheers Cathey

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Cathey

Please can someone respond to this thread, I am desperate for information, cheers Cathey

Cathey, beautiful gun and fantastic pictures, here is a link to a thread discussing a similar matchlock, you should use the forum search function, you may find additional information, as for the chain and its use take a look at the image I posted below, the small tubes attached to the chain seem to be for holding the match cord.

Can you tell us more about the type of audience that you will be speaking to?

The Malaysian matchlock along with the Japanese, Vietnamese and a few other Asian matchlocks are "snap matchlocks", which means that the serpentine (the curved lever which holds the smoldering matchcord) locks in place when pulled back and it is released when the trigger is pulled, the smoldering matchcord touches the primer pan which ignites the powder charge which in turn ignites the powder in the barrel.

Matchlocks from India, the Ottoman empire etc used a different lock in which the serpentine fell foward when the trigger was pulled and went back into an upright position when the trigger was released.

The snap matchlock used in Asia is said to be based on Portuguese models produced in their colony at Goa India. The snap matchlock was originally a European model that was brought to Goa by European gun makers working in India. The Portuguese introduced these guns to Japan around 1543, I am not sure when they were first introduced to Malaysia. (Forum members please correct any wrong info or add additional info!!)

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=20873

Wikipedia article "Snap matchlock"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_matchlock

[Cathey]

Hi Estcrh

Thank you for your informative response this is exactly the type of details I am looking for. The audience is the Antique and Historical Arms Collectors club and the majority of members are more modern firearm enthusiasts. As we are largely sword collectors I am a little out of my depth speaking about a gun to these guys, particularly as I only brought it because it was so attractive with no real idea what it was.

I will do as you suggested and run a search in the forum, however in additional information anyone can provide will be very gratefully received.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

PS Cathey is more grateful as Rex dobbed me in for this thing.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Cathey

Hi Estcrh

Thank you for your informative response this is exactly the type of details I am looking for. The audience is the Antique and Historical Arms Collectors club and the majority of members are more modern firearm enthusiasts. As we are largely sword collectors I am a little out of my depth speaking about a gun to these guys, particularly as I only brought it because it was so attractive with no real idea what it was.

I will do as you suggested and run a search in the forum, however in additional information anyone can provide will be very gratefully received.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

PS Cathey is more grateful as Rex dobbed me in for this thing.

Do you have any specific questions, this book is said to have some additional info on Mayasian guns, Anthony C. Tirri, Islamic Weapons Maghrib to Moghul, USA, 2003, p. 410.

your matchlock appears to be very complete and in good condition, they are rather rare although you can find some additional examples online. Another term you may try searching for is "istinggarda/istinggar".

[Cathey]

Hi estcrh

Thankyou for the information you have provided to date and especially the book references which I actually have in my library. The explanation for the use of the two hanging holders for the rope certainly filled in a blank that even Stones Glossary had not worked out. My next question is how does the rope actually access the pan, does it thread through he hammer of the lock. The other point I have noticed, when I compare mine to other examples the butt is very different lacking the two semi-circles to the end.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Cathey

My next question is how does the rope actually access the pan, does it thread through he hammer of the lock.

Can you post photos of the serpentine (hammer) from all angles and I will see if I can show you the route that the match cord (rope) would take.

Here is a link to a place that sells matchlock match cord.
http://www.therifleshoppe.com/catalo...ocks/(933).htm

[Cathey]

Hi estcrh

We have taken a few extra pictures form different angles hope this helps.

Cheers

Cathey and Rex

[estcrh]

Hope this helps.

[rickystl]

Great close-up photos from different angles. Thanks for sharing.
Rick.

[Cathey]

Thanks Estcrh,

most helpful, I will purchase some cord and take a photo of it set up. The other point I am curious about is, when I compare mine to other examples the butt is very different lacking the two semi-circles to the end.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Cathey

Thanks Estcrh,

most helpful, I will purchase some cord and take a photo of it set up. The other point I am curious about is, when I compare mine to other examples the butt is very different lacking the two semi-circles to the end.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

I would not worry about ther stock, there are other examples that do not have circles.

[fernando]

When will your talk take place, Cathey ?

[Philip]

Hi, Cathy
Nice example you have here. It's similar to one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY (acc. no. 36.25.2187). These are classic examples of matchlocks of Indo-Portuguese ( or Luso-Indian ) type, a fusion of European and Oriental technology perfected in the Portuguese territory of Goa, India, in the early 16th cent. A brief history:
1. Portugal was unique among western European countries in relying almost exclusively on a snap matchlock whose serpentine was powered by an external leaf spring. The prototype for this is a crude version first made in the late 15th cent. in the German-speaking realm of Bohemia, introduced to Portugal via a trade network involving German merchants (see Daehnhardt, ESPINGARDA FEITICEIRA, pp 49ff & figs.). These rudimentary muskets were widely used by the Portuguese for several decades as they improved their workmanship and design considerably in their own arsenals,

2. Both the German guns and their Portuguese derivatives were brought to the East, and when Portugal established an armory at Goa in the second decade of the 16th cent., Indian craftsmen further modified the design by introducing a very short, almost pistol-like buttstock held against the cheek, not the shoulder, when aiming. They also reduced the caliber and made the gun lighter and more balanced. This was a hit with the Portuguese who did a lot of fighting aboard ship and on river craft, and valued a more compact gun. A sumptuously decorated Goanese gun of this type, ca. 1550, is preserved at the Rustkammer in Dresden (current inv. no. G.1116, formerly S.181 in the 1606 inventory).

3. The Portuguese brought Sri Lanka, parts of the Bengal and Burma coasts, Malaya, and the Indochinese coast under their sway in the years following their conquest of Goa in 1510. Within a decade or two they were in Taiwan and the south China coast. Wherever they went, the locals enthusiastically copied these muskets and made their own versions, differing stylistically but retaining the same mechanicals and the cheek buttstocks.

4. I see from pics of your gun that the serpentine pivot bolt seems to run through the stock and is anchored on the left side via a crosspin. This is a holdover from the primitive Bohemian prototypes, whose serpentine pivots are screwed right into the wooden stock. Most Malay guns have this same arrangement, albeit of much finer craftsmanship. So do most Chinese versions; both areas are believed to have received the technology from the Portuguese in the 1520s-30s.

5. The Portuguese first reached Japan in 1543, they had guns with them and as they say, the rest is history. By then, though, the armorers at Lisbon and Goa had improved on the locks again, this time attaching the serpentine pivot bolt to the lockplate itself. This didn't noticeably improve shooting performance but enabled the entire lock to be removed as a unit, making repairs and maintenance easier. The Japanese guns have this feature. So do Korean matchlocks which are almost identical in all respects, Korea having received musket technology not directly from the Portuguese but rather second-hand from the Japanese as a result of the Hideyoshi invasion of the 1590s.

6. I mentioned above that the artisans at Goa tended to downsize the scale of the weapons in favor of ease of handling and firing (keeping in mind that the muskets of most north European countries weighed as much as 20 lb and required a forked rest under the barrel for a steady aim). However, these Malay guns tend to be long and quite heavy. Actually uncomfortable to hold unsupported when aiming, especially when considering the relative small stature of the people using them. This is in contrast to Indo-Portuguese matchlocks from the rest of Asia, which are generally quite easy to handle and are of manageable size. It is thought by some writers that these firearms were meant to be fired from a defensive posture (as from a parapet) but I'd like to see further research to confirm this. Compared to the field of Malay edged weapons, these firearms have not been well covered in the academic press, and I'm open to any references that fellow forumites may have found that will shed more light on the actual usage of these. (W. Egerton's AN ILLUSTRATED HANDBOOK OF INDIAN ARMS... p 63 has a very interesting quote on the manufacture of gun barrels in Lombok, Java, but says nothing about the use or ethnographic context of the finished product.)

[Cathey]

Hi Fernando and Phillip

My talk is scheduled for Friday the 4th of March, I still have plenty of time to ass to it thank goodness.

Thank you Phillip for the background information you have provided. Whilst I have a reasonable library I have found it difficult to gather much information on this particular musket. As I have said I am really a sword enthusiast and my knowledge of firearms is very limited. At least now when I get up to speak I can say more than this is a decorative gun from our collection and I think its from Malaysia.

Cheers

Cathey and Rex

[estcrh]

Cathey and Rex, if you get chance can you post the weight of your gun, thanks.

[Philip]

Cathey,
Buttstocks on these Malay guns come in two basic shapes. One is like yours, essentially flat-ended. You see a variation of this style on guns from central and southern Vietnam as well. The other has a contour with, as you describe, circular cutouts. This has some similarity to some (not all) Japanese and Korean stocks.

On the Malay matchlocks, there are noticeable differences in the style of decoration on the brass parts, between examples displaying the two buttstock variations. There may be a regional factor, since the stylistic differences are pretty consistent. Try as I might, to date I've not been able to find any publication which analyzes these variations and tries to pin them down to any specific areas in the archipelago.

[fernando]

Great input, Philip.
It is so good when we call for the Cavalry and it gets there in no time .

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Cathey

... At least now when I get up to speak I can say more than this is a decorative gun from our collection and I think its from Malaysia...

And you may also tell them that the term ESPINGARDA is still the name currently used in portuguese for shoulder guns .

[Cathey]

Hi Philip and Fernando

Thanks for your continuing assistance. We have just weighed the gun and it has come in at 4.7kg. Heavier than I thought it would be.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

[Cathey]

Hi Philip,

I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the age of this particular gun, I thought perhaps 18th to early 19th Century?

Cheers Cathey and Rex

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Cathey

Hi Philip and Fernando

Thanks for your continuing assistance. We have just weighed the gun and it has come in at 4.7kg. Heavier than I thought it would be.

Cheers Cathey and Rex

4.7 kg. or 10.36 lb., that is a heavy gun, thanks for the weight.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by estcrh

4.7 kg. or 10.36 lb., that is a heavy gun, thanks for the weight.

Yes, heavy and surely long; probably around 170 cms.
Although the term 'satinggar' itself is a corruption of portuguese 'espingarda', some sources pretend that such corruption comes 'espingardão' which means large espingarda; however this is questionable, not only for the term construction but also because 'espingardão' is the name attributed to an even larger and sturdier gun, often used for defence, its barrel resting on (fortification) walls, due to its dimension.
This to say that, in any case, the dimensions of the type in discussion, although being a 'portable' gun, would easy call for a resting fork when in assault or the mentioned wall when used in defence. Maybe Philip could have a say on this issue.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Cathey

... I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the age of this particular gun, I thought perhaps 18th to early 19th Century?...

Ah, this takes a real expert; maybe Philip is able to discern that, judging by the photos and not having it in hand.
The thing is that, contrary to Western weapons, Eastern models may go on for centuries maintaning the same characteristics; thus their age may not be attributed by their design but by subtle details, like finishing perfection and other such details.

[Philip]

Cathey,
I have a Malay gun of the same "model" as yours, same stock profile and style of decoration. It's a monster:
Weight 11.76 lb , approx. 5.88 kg
Caliber 16.5 mm, approx. .62 in
Barrel thickness across flats at breech 32 mm (almost 2x bore diameter)
Overall length 61.75 in., approx. 155 cm

The point of balance is 68 cm from the end of the buttplate, this is where the piece sits level if rested on a block at that very point. I am of average height and have been shooting all kinds of rifles since I was a kid, and even a bigger guy than I am will have trouble keeping aim from a standing position because most peoples' arms aren't long enough to reach the balance point and simultaneously support the weight of the gun. Imagine how much trouble a people of shorter and lighter build like most Malays would have!

So clearly the dimensions of these guns makes them most unsuitable for hunting, especially in tropical rainforests. Another thing, the heavy serpentines coupled with the weakness of the brass mainsprings make for an extremely slow lock time after the trigger releases the sear. Positively sluggish! Most game animals wouldn't hang around that long.

In the paucity of written references on these guns, I recall seeing some mention of these being fired from some kind of support, possibly for defensive purposes. Can't recall the title and author at moment, unfortunately. But it makes sense considering how massive these things are. The extremely thick barrel walls at the breech probably mean that a really heavy powder charge can be accommodated, far more than would be safe in a lighter hunting gun. Were these intended for shot, or ball? Hard to say. My example has no sights, so hard to imagine any utility with a solid projectile. If a gun like this were loaded to the max with buckshot, and fired at attackers from atop a palisade, it would be in its element for sure.

For comparison purposes, I have 2 other specimens, of different buttstock shapes and deco style. One has the flaring butt that you compared with Japanese style gunstocks, that's almost as heavy as the piece I'm discussing here and it too has no sights. The other one is longer but a good deal lighter and and aimable, and it has a foresight in the form of a little tube at the muzzle, but no backsight.

It's conceivable that these mega-muskets did play the same tactical role as "gingals" did in Burma, India, and China (and the corresponding "fusils de rempart" or "Wallbüchsen" in Europe), supplementing the artillery. Recall that the Malay Archipelago was famous for its "lantaka" cannon, those bronze swivel cannon which were based on Portuguese and Dutch prototypes.

[Cathey]

Hi Guys

I have finally thought to measure parts of the gun to give you an idea of its size as well as weight. It is slightly shorter than Phillips example.

Weight 4.7 kg
Overall Length 59 5/8” 151.5 cm
Barrel length 48 ½ “123.3 cm
Stock length 11 1/8” 28.4 cm
Lock plate 10” 25.5 cm
Butt width 3 1/8” 8 cm

Cheers Cathey and Rex

[fernando]

Good.
In that case you may discard the possibility of this being a gun needing a resting fork or a wall as, with such length, it falls within the 'portable' shoulder guns range, hence your lecture becoming more concise

[fernando]

How did it go with your lecture, Cathey ?

[Cathey]

Hi Fernando

Thanks to you and Phillip it went very well, I actually had to reduce the information. Again, thanks so much, I now know a lot about something I knew nothing about.

Cheer Cathey and Rex

[fernando]