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27th October 2006, 09:44 PM | #1 |
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Snaphaunce pistol - Origin not clear
I bought this pistol in a street market ... no label and no ID.
The stock butt is very particular, but i don't know for sure where it comes from. I have been thinking it is Moroccan, possibly (wishfully) 19th century. Any better oppinion or actual knowledge ?. Thanks in advance fernando |
28th October 2006, 07:02 AM | #2 |
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It is probably Moroccan. That type of snaphaunce lock is typical of that area (Algeria and regions to the east used "miquelet" locks of Spanish design, those characterized by a large external V-shaped mainspring and an "L" shaped combined pan cover and "steel". The snaphaunce of Morocco is derived from north European (Dutch and English) prototypes of the 17th cent.
The flare on the muzzle, and the almost circular outline of the trigger guard, are carried over from the familiar Moroccan long muskets, "moukahla". I would recommend S. James Gooding's "The Snaphance Muskets of al-Maghreb al-Aqsa" in ARMS COLLECTING, Vol. 34, no. 3 (August 1996), pp 87-93. The subject is also addressed, with illus. of exceptional examples, in Dr. Robert Elgood's FIREARMS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD IN THE TAREQ RAJAB MUSEUM, KUWAIT, London/NY: I. B. Tauris, 1995. |
28th October 2006, 01:18 PM | #3 |
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Thank you so much Philip, for the excelent information.
Are the pictures clear enough to guess an age on this piece ? Could it be prior to the 20th century ? |
28th October 2006, 11:22 PM | #4 |
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Here is a picture of the lock of my Muqakhla. The musket or Muqakhla of the Kabyle tribesmen. Of a form based upon English and Dutch guns of the late sixteenth century.
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29th October 2006, 07:58 AM | #5 |
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Fernando,
Yes, it could be 19th cent, as well as early 20th. During the period in question, styles didn't change appreciably so without inscriptions, assigning exact date is difficult. Vejo que vive em Portugal. Esta vos um colecionador de armas de fogo? I am looking for reference books on the history of the Portuguese espingarda da mecha, the type that was introduced to the Far East during the Age of the Discoveries. Rainer Daehnhardt's book, ESPINGARDA FEITICEIRA is good, I have it but would like to read the research of other authors on this subject, and also see more pictures of these guns which are preserved in Portuguese museums. Do you know of any additional titles? Recently I have become aware of Korean, Burmese, southern Chinese, and Vietnamese versions of these matchlock muskets. All are of Indo-Portuguese mechanism, as Daehnhardt calls it, but he does not address these additional types of guns in his book. |
29th October 2006, 08:29 PM | #6 |
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Hi Philip
Obrigado pela sua mensagem. I have managed to gather a couple random old firearms, but i am a very light weight collector, without a minimum background. I may however sugest that books or images of Portuguese weapons covering such period are scarce, such as the weapons themselves (except for artillery ). Even in Portuguese museums you don't find so many of them ... you would quicker find them in private collections out there . I wouldn't know of any publications on this Indo-Portuguese matchlock theme, except for ESPINGARDA FEITICEIRA. I guess that the author only mentioned and showed pictures of determined examples, as he wanted to tipify their basic evolution, according to the scheme he has built up. This guy would be the first to have most possible important variations, among his 5000 pieces arms collection. Maybe the examples you recently heard about, don't define basic variants, other than "Indo Portuguese" or "Cingalo Portuguese" influenced, the two main sources where this system spread from ... but you shouldn't take me seriously. A bit off topic, i have scanned a page of Bulletin of Antique Arms Society, from which Rainer Daehnhardt is President, with pictures of a Cingalo Portuguese specimen. I will try and find some other authors or images in this Indo Portuguese matchlock subject, and will surely let you know. Kind regards fernando ps I am trying to tame my scanner. Last edited by fernando; 29th October 2006 at 09:50 PM. |
28th January 2007, 04:31 AM | #7 | |
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Quote:
Fenris |
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28th January 2007, 09:31 PM | #8 |
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Hi Fenris,
Thank you for your coments. I can see your point. Here are some more pictures of the barrel and other details. You will notice the dark stains in the wood, around the screws and near the barrel. Would this mean this stock has seen some use, even having been a replacement to the original one ? kind regards fernando |
29th January 2007, 09:08 AM | #9 | |
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