Art Institute of Chicago

Triple-Barrel Revolving Flintlock Fowling Piece from the Gun Cabinet of the Princes of Liechtenstein

Gunsmith: Tilman Keucks (Dutch)

Date

c. 1650

Medium

Steel, brass, walnut, ebony, and horn

Culture

Germany

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

When hunting fowl in flight, it was difficult to aim fast enough to get another shot with a second gun. This early flintlock fowling piece was designed to solve this problem. To get a quick second shot, and even a third, the hunter reset the cock, withdrew the lever in front of the trigger to release the barrels, manually rotated to the next charged barrel, and pulled the trigger again. Triple-barrel guns are exceptionally rare, as the weight typically rendered them too cumbersome. This gun, however, with its fine craftsmanship and thin-walled barrels, is actually the lightest fowling piece in this case.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.