Pair of Wheellock Pistols

Étienne Delaune · 1570-01-01T00:00:00Z

These pistols are remarkable for the chiseled and gilt decoration of the barrels and locks, for the distinctive figural and floral inlay on the stocks, which is copied in part from ornament engravings by Etienne Delaune (1518/19–1583), and for the use of red paint to highlight the stock decoration. The survival of the matching priming flask also in the Metropolitan Museum's collection (acc. no. 14.25.1523) is also exceptional for a pistol from this early date.