Cleveland Museum of Art

Pair of Flintlock Pistols

Date

early 1700s

Medium

steel with gold inlay, gilt-brass mounts; walnut burl stock; chiseled high-relief decoration

Culture

Franco-Flemish, Liège, early 18th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Works of exquisite craftsmanship, this pair of pistols, on view in the museum’s armor court, feature an array of decorative elements, including carved walnut, gold inlay, and chiseled, engraved, and gilded figural designs. The barrel is signed G. MASSIN, the name of a gunsmith working in eastern France or French-speaking Flanders, possibly the city of Liège. The flintlock ignition system was developed in the 1600s and remained the dominant system until the early 1800s.

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