Wheellock gun
mid-17th century
Medium
Steel, wood (walnut)
Dimensions
L. 45 1/2 in. (115.6 cm); L. of barrel 32 3/4 in. (83.2 cm); Cal. .58 in. (14.7 mm); Wt. 9 lb. 6 oz. (4250 g)
Classification
Firearms-Guns-Wheellock
Culture
Italian, Brescia
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1904
Accession Number
04.3.162
Art Historical Context
Step into the riveting world of 17th-century armament with this exquisite wheellock gun from renowned Cominazzo workshop in, Italy—a hub of Renaissance and Baroque gunmaking excellence. Crafted around the mid-1600s, this firearm measures an imposing 45½ inches in length, with a ¾-inch steel barrel of .58 caliber, weighing a hefty 9 pounds ounces. Its walnut wood, elegantly shaped for balance and handling, exemplifies the fusion of functionality and fine artistry typical of Italian masters. The wheellock mechanism, a technological marvel of its era, ignited gunpowder via a spinning steel whee...