Cleveland Museum of Art

Wheel-Lock Rifle

Date

1618

Medium

steel, brass, walnut stock inlaid with bone, horn and ivory

Culture

Germany, Bavaria (?), 17th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Made originally as a petronel pistol, this firearm seems to have been refitted with a new stock sometime during the 17th century to convert it into a rifle, most likely for a child's use. The artisan who made this rifle used brass, bone, horn, and ivory to create decorative elements like animals involved in the hunt, fruits, and other details. If you look beneath the gun, you will see a goose or duck and a vase of flowers near the trigger.

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