Cleveland Museum of Art

Pair of Wheel-lock Petronels

Georg Kurland

Date

c. 1630

Medium

steel, gilding, and wood inlaid with elk horn, ivory, and mother-of-pearl

Culture

Silesia (Southwestern Poland), Teschen, 17th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

A petronel was a type of long pistol made with a wheel-lock ignition. Despite its length, the petronel was fired at the wrist like a pistol and not at the shoulder like a rifle. They were generally made in pairs during the early 1600s. Civilian versions were elaborately decorated for aristocratic clients. These luxury objects were used by wealthy men as sporting weapons.

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