Collection Online as of May 29, 2023

Pair of Flintlock Pistols

early 1700s

Part of a set. See all set records

Franco-Flemish, Liège, early 18th century

Steel with gold inlay, gilt-brass mounts; walnut burl stock; chiseled high-relief decoration

Overall: 49.5 cm (19 1/2 in.); Barrel: 32.1 cm (12 5/8 in.); Bore: 1.5 cm (9/16 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.50

Location

210C Firearms

Fun Fact

The flintlock ignition system was developed in the 1600s and remained the dominant system until the early 1800s.

Description

Works of exquisite craftsmanship, this pair of pistols, on view in the museum’s armor court, feature an array of decorative elements, including carved walnut, gold inlay, and chiseled, engraved, and gilded figural designs. The barrel is signed G. MASSIN, the name of a gunsmith working in eastern France or French-speaking Flanders, possibly the city of Liège.

Inscriptions

Inscription

G. MASSIN

Inscription Translation

A gunsmith working in eastern France or French-speaking Flanders, possibly in the city of Liège

Inscription Remark

on barrel

Provenance

-1916

Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art

1916-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

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. (261) 288 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. 149, F16; Reproduced: Plate XXXIV, F16 archive.org

Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. 2d ed., 1948. Reproduction: p. 41 archive.org

Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. Mentioned: P. 173, cat. no. 216

Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned: P. 193, cat. no. 218