Wheellocks at the Met

[TobJohn]

I visited the Met today and was able to scare impress my fiancé and friends with my wheellock enthusiasm

 

[PhDBrewer]

Scared or impressed?
Well... scared would be if you mortgaged the house and bought a couple of them!
Thanks for sharing!

 

[TF Black]

I go to see the Arms & Armor hall 2-3 times a year and see something new every time. Never disappoints.

 

[morehops52]

The quality of the metalwork and detailed inlays never cease to amaze me.

 

[TobJohn]

I only stopped to take photos of a handful of them, but they had some guns with bone work that were almost impossible to comprehend. There is one wheellock that is completely covered in carved bone and I wish I remembered to photo it. Very much high art!

 

[PhDBrewer]

Been thinking about building one of these before I finally die...

Here are all the pieces!
After seeing it apart.... simple!

William

 

[TobJohn]

Been thinking about building one of these before I finally die...
View attachment 293623
Here are all the pieces!
After seeing it apart.... simple!

William

The Spanish Royal collection has a much plainer version by the same gunsmith:

 

[PhDBrewer]

Yes. Maker is Peter Peck from Munich. Purveyor to Emperor Charles V & Bavarian Duke Albrect V.
1550 or so...
He made quite a few Double barreled wheellocks. He also liked the dual dogs... spin to the other pyrite if one did not work. Different than a separate dog assembly.

William

 

[TobJohn]

Yes. Maker is Peter Peck from Munich. Purveyor to Emperor Charles V & Bavarian Duke Albrect V.
1550 or so...
He made quite a few Double barreled wheellocks. He also liked the dual dogs... spin to the other pyrite if one did not work. Different than a separate dog assembly.
View attachment 293630
William

The online collection for the Musée de l'Armée has some great photos of one of his pistols with the two headed dogs, if someone is brave enough to try making one!

 

[TobJohn]

One of the only matchlocks in the collection was a petronel, which elicited “i actually kind of like that one” from my fiancée. I made the right decision wanting to marry her!

 

[PathfinderNC]

Amazing things

 

[rickystl]

John: Thanks so much for posting these photos. The brain to hand skills of some people just amazes me. High art at it's best. Incredible.

Rick

 

[Jay Templin]

In our collection we have a piece of bone inlay from a gun that they acquired last year. It’s very cool. Been thinking of adapting it to a flask.

Jay

 

[TobJohn]

I only stopped to take photos of a handful of them, but they had some guns with bone work that were almost impossible to comprehend. There is one wheellock that is completely covered in carved bone and I wish I remembered to photo it. Very much high art!

here is a less than flattering candid photo of me that shows the bone covered wheellock and then the musuem’s official picture:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/23197

 

[TobJohn]

In our collection we have a piece of bone inlay from a gun that they acquired last year. It’s very cool. Been thinking of adapting it to a flask.View attachment 293780
Jay

It would also be great on a patchbox lid! A German wheellock rifle is probably not super relevant to Jamestown, but you guys can probably find an excuse to commission one.

 

[Jay Templin]

It would also be great on a patchbox lid! A German wheellock rifle is probably not super relevant to Jamestown, but you guys can probably find an excuse to commission one.

Excuse, yes. Budget?

 

[TobJohn]

I go to see the Arms & Armor hall 2-3 times a year and see something new every time. Never disappoints.

If you haven’t already watched them, Adam savage (from mythbusters) has a series of videos in the restoration department of the Met, where he discusses various tools and artifacts with the curators.