The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Flintlock Pistol

Flintlock Pistol

c. 1670
steel, chiseled decoration with walnut stock
Overall: 45.1 cm (17 3/4 in.); Barrel: 27.6 cm (10 7/8 in.); Bore: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.52.1
Location: 210C Firearms

Did You Know?

This type of pistol fired only once before needing to be reloaded, so they were often produced in matched pairs.

Description

The chiseling of gun ornamentation is a task comparable to sculpting on a miniature scale, carried out in an extremely hard material. Since this was usually beyond the skill of most gunsmiths, it was not uncommon for such work to be contracted out, as happened here.
  • -1916
    Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    -1916
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Catalogue of Arms and Armour. Vol. 4, 17th to 19th century and a few pieces of iron work. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915]. Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (262) 289 archive.org
    Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: p. 148, F14 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. p. 173, cat. no. 217
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. p. 193, cat. no. 216
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
  • {{cite web|title=Flintlock Pistol|url=false|author=|year=c. 1670|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.52.1