Flintlock Pistol

Unknown

ca. 1650 · Steel, iron, wood (walnut) · Arms and Armor

This pistol is one of a small group of flintlock guns and holster pistols with high relief chiseling on the barrels, locks, and mounts. The decoration includes military scenes with figures in seventeenth-century costume, trophies of arms, and Classical figures. Not signed or marked, these firearms are thought to have been made in eastern France of The Netherlands, perhaps in Liege (in modern Belgium). This pistol, one of a pair, belonged to the famous Swedish general Carl Gustaf, Count Wrangel, who acquired several firearms of this type in Liege in 1651. Wrangel's armory, largely intact, is preserved in Skokloster Castle, Sweden.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1650

Medium

Steel, iron, wood (walnut)

Culture

possibly Belgian, Liege

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gift, 2011