Double Barrelled Wheellock Pistol
Unknown Artist
dated 1612
Medium
Steel, wood, staghorn
Dimensions
L. 20 3/8 in. (51.75 cm); L. of upper barrel 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm); L. of lower barrel 9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm); Cal. of upper barrel .43 in. (10.8 mm); Cal. of lower barrel .54 in. (13.6 mm); Wt. 3 lb. 15.5 oz. (1800.2 g)
Classification
Firearms-Pistols-Wheellock
Culture
German
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1904
Accession Number
04.3.194
Art Historical Context
Step into the Arms and Armor gallery to encounter this remarkable *Double Barrelled Wheellock Pistol* from 1612, a German masterpiece of early firearm engineering. Crafted from steel for its robust barrels and mechanism, wood for the sturdy stock, and staghorn for ergonomic, tactile grips, this pistol measures 20⅜ inches long and weighs nearly four pounds. Its superimposed double barrels— the upper with a .43-inch caliber and the lower .54-inch—allowed for two rapid shots, a rare innovation for self-defense, dueling, or cavalry use. Wheellock pistols, pioneered in 16th-century Europe and perf...