id:			96808
accession number:	1916.52
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.52
updated:		2023-03-03 07:01:15.900000

Pair of Flintlock Pistols, c. 1670. Italy, Brescia, 17th century. Steel, chiseled decoration with walnut stock; overall: 45.1 cm (17 3/4 in.); barrel: 27.6 cm (10 7/8 in.); bore: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.52

title:				Pair of Flintlock Pistols
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1670
creation date earliest:		1665
creation date latest:		1675
current location:		210C Firearms
creditline:			Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
copyright:			

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culture:	Italy, Brescia, 17th century
technique:	steel, chiseled decoration with walnut stock
department:	Medieval Art
collection:	MED - Arms & Armor
type:		Arms and Armor
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 45.1 cm (17 3/4 in.); Barrel: 27.6 cm (10 7/8 in.); Bore: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

	inscription:	P. Moretta
	translation:	
	remark:		

	inscription:	CARLO LERME
	translation:	
	remark:		

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: -1916
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1916-
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact:
This type of pistol fired only once before needing to be reloaded, so they were often produced in matched pairs. Even the trigger is decorated on these beautifully ornate weapons. Look closely to compare how a skilled craftsman carefully matched the patterning on these two guns.

digital description:


wall description:
The chiseling of gun ornament is a task comparable to sculpture on a miniature scale, carried out in an extremely hard material. Since this was usually beyond the skill of most gunsmiths, it was not uncommon for such work to be contracted out as occurred here. While the barrels are signed <em>P. Moretta</em>, the lock plates of these pistols are signed <em>Carlo Lerme</em>, who also chiseled the mounts.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	<em>Catalogue of Arms and Armour</em>. Vol. 4, <em>17th to 19th century and a few pieces of iron work</em>. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915].
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (262) 289
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CatArmsArmour4/page/n525

	Gilchrist, Helen Ives. <em>A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms &amp; Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. </em>Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924.
	page number: 	Mentioned: p. 148, F14
	url:		https://archive.org/details/SeveranceCollection1924/page/n220

	Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.
	page number: 	Mentioned: P. 173, cat. no. 217
	url:		

	Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms &amp; Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
	page number: 	Mentioned: P. 193, cat. no. 216
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.52/1916.52_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.52/1916.52_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.52/1916.52_full.tif