Collection Online as of September 24, 2022

Flintlock Pistol (2 of 2)

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 1916.50.2

Location

210C Firearms

Fun Fact

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

Description

The barrel of this pistol is signed G. MASSIN, a gunsmith apparently working in eastern France or French-speaking Flanders, possibly the city of Liège. The exquisite ornament along the breech of the barrel is chiseled and engraved. The gilded lock-plate and mounts may be compared to the finest contemporary work in other media, such as furniture with ormolu mounts.

Inscriptions

Inscription

on barrel: G. MASSIN

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

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

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

Exhibition history

Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).