Art Institute of Chicago

Gun Shield

Italian

Date

c. 1544

Medium

Steel, iron, wood, wool textile, and hemp fiber

Culture

Italy

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

A curious and seemingly impractical invention, this gun shield was one of at least 66 recorded in the Tower of London. They were commissioned or purchased for military use by Henry VIII from an Italian merchant, Giovanbattista of Ravenna, around 1544. The king must have been fascinated by its novelty. Revolutionary for its time, the shield is fitted with a breach (backend)-loading matchlock pistol that was designed to accept a preloaded steel cartridge into the chamber. To fire, the gunner had to hold the shield with his left forearm, aim through the protective grill, and pull a lever holding a smol- dering match with his right hand. The body of the shield was constructed of plywood covered in hemp padding and wool, which can be seen at the back.

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