Flintlock

[HerbZ]

We've a grandchild visiting with us this month, so cost of gas was no consideration; we went into Cincinnati for the 4th of July weekend. One of our many stops was at the Cincinnati Art Museum where I photographed this flintlock all alone in a glass case with no card telling what it was or where or when it was made.

[Navy]

No expert here, but the style of chasing and the crest design on the butt are reminiscent of pre-revolutionary France. Obviously an aristocrats or nobles piece.

Tom A

[George Anderson]

Herb it's a real beauty. As Tom suggests it had to have belonged to a very wealthy fellow. I would suggest that, given the Capercaillie on the upper butt plate, it might more likely be German, Austrian or Swiss.

Once again, I am usually wrong though.

[Edward Tinker]

At first I thought the style of the "inlay" looked italian to me, but I am no expert on these things

I think with the perigrines and other hunting items, more likely French or German?


Whats a "Capercaillie " Geo?

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[HerbZ]

Well, now that I come to think about it, this flintlock was in a gallery with French paintings. The English paintings (including a few huge paintings by a Thomas Gainsborough who seemed to paint nothing but the sort of wealthy people who could afford such a gun) were all in another gallery on the other side of the museum. It's a sort of a shortish smooth bore and with a slight flair to its muzzle, so it might be well suited to firing shot at upland game. Perhaps it was French made for an Englishman who used it, along with dogs from Spain (aka Spaniels), for upland hunting?

It's been decades since I've singed hairs off knuckles on my right hand with a flintlock, but this one looks in really nice shape and with what looks like a good flint that seems properly mounted.

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[HerbZ]

The History Guy (a website worth getting lost on and a great source for links too) list five Anglo-French wars between 1066 and 1200.

http://www.historyguy.com/anglo_french.html

That first war in 1066 is what made the English royals quite French for a long time. That is until more recently when they became quite German. They fought with the French for quite a long time, and then more recently with the Germans.

As for what the common Englishman would do with things French, holes, & etc...

Perhaps the English aristocracy was of a different opinion?

But yes, this flintlock is undoubtedly a beautiful work of art. It may very well be considered one of the more magnificent works of art in the form of a firearm. But this firearm was made with swivels to accommodate a sling for carrying it in the field. And I'm a complete idiot when it comes to firearms forensics, but I thought I saw evidence of wear from use on the frizzen spring where the frizzen contacts it when the gun is discharged and on the frizzen itself too. Unfortunately the photographs are quite grainy (actually digital "noise") because I couldn't use the flash and had to set the ISO (formerly known as ASA) to its highest setting.

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[Ron Smith]

I'm thinkin' it's one of Hugh's Bar-B-Que guns...

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[Edward Tinker]

Originally posted by tacfoley
Dear Mr HerbZ - here's the deal - I won't try and teach you about your admittedly pretty short history, if you don't try and teach me about mine.


tac

Tac, play nice or we'll cut your shooting visa to amerika

[HerbZ]

Tac:

Thanks for the history lesson. I stand corrected.

And my history here in America is indeed brief. My family has only been in America since 1906, the year my grandfather, then a journeyman cabinet maker, left his homeland to avoid conscription into some monarch's army. He tried to settle in New York City, but said the elevated trains kept him awake all night. So he took a train as far west as he could afford to go. That landed him in Cincinnati where he was hired by the Baldwin Piano Company, which to his amazement and gratitude taught him to make piano cases for baby grands. By the time the United States entered the First World War, my grandpa was an American citizen and it was then that this former draft dodger volunteered for the U.S. Army. The Army of course knew exactly what to do with a man of my grandfather's skills and accomplishments with tools and wood, they made him a carpenter. My grandpa built all kinds of things out of wood for the Army, at different bases and camps here in the states. Like millions of others, he took sick the next year with influenza. He nearly died, but recovered and was discharged. He returned to making baby grands at Baldwin in Cincinnati, where he founded a dynasty of Ford driving tool collectors, some of whom can actually use most of the tools they own. (My older brother has some of grandpa's specially curved planes that are only good for shaping one part of one piece on a baby grand piano.)

Otherwise, don't y'all get too down on Tac because he shows up to a knife fight with a rapier. I believe that's considered humor over there in the UK. It's my own fault if I showed with a potato peeler.

[Edward Tinker]

Originally posted by tacfoley
.

WHAT THE Hell TAC?


NOW I CAN'T TRY TO MODERATE THE FORUM WITHOUT YOU DELETING YOUR F%^&*& COMMENTS?


If you want to point out other folks foibles, then you have to let others make comments back?

[Edward Tinker]

Tac, your comments are VERY important to me, but it pisses me off when you get your back off and makes me want to not let you shoot any of my guns when you visit Pennsylvania ~~damn smilie face~~


In other words, just cuz i moderate or comment doesn't mean there is less value in what you say, to the contrary my friend.

ed

[HerbZ]

Tac,

Please, no apology is required. As (I hope) should be evident from my postings, I've a sense of humor and have not taken any offense. Unless I'm to sadly learn that I'm unhappily mistaken, this is all in fun, ain't it.

Maybe we aught to change the subject...

Hey all!

Here's a photo of a 9 year old boy contemplating a gold bowl that belonged to Darius the Great of Persia. Maybe he's thinking about how nice it would be to eat Cookie Crisp and milk out it. Then he could put it down on the floor for one of the dogs to lick up the milk that is left... Hey, that might explain why Mollie (named for the hollow wall fasteners) puked yesterday!

[Jack Lawman]

Originally posted by HerbZ
Maybe he's thinking about how nice it would be to eat Cookie Crisp and milk out of it.

Your boy might be full up on Cookie Crisp... but the dude in the back looks like he didn't eat his Wheaties that morning!



Jack

[Heinz]

Tac, You can come to the western side of Pennsylvania and shoot. Although you can just knock the turkeys and deer on the head with a stick and save the ammo for the muggers on the eastern side on the state ;-)
(said with a grin)

[HerbZ]

Back in the early 1970s some art thieves stole objects from both the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Taft Museum (a smaller art museum located in a Federalist Mansion that once belonged, as did most of the art collection in it, to the Taft family). From the Taft they stole what was then thought to be a Rembrandt painting (it has been since reconsidered as a work of one of his students) known as "Man Leaning On A Sill." From the Cincinnati Art Museum they stole that very same gold bowl once owned by King Darius I of Persia. The thieves' MO was the same in both robberies: during regular museum hours, men dressed like members of an outlaw motorcycle gang overwhelmed the guards and ran off with the art object.

The Darius Bowl was the first object stolen, and was recovered in a matter of weeks. It has always been believed, but never stated, that the Cincinnati Art Museum paid a ransom. Then the Rembrandt was stolen from the Taft Museum. It took about a month for the painting to be recovered, but no ransom was paid and the Cincinnati Police arrested several suspects at the time that they recovered the painting. Both Art Museums now have extensive state-of-the-arts theft prevention systems, and Cincinnati museum guards are able to snooze undisturbed (except for the occasional tourist asking questions).

[RGMCE]

Back to the gun. I agree with Tom in that it looks French judging from the engraving style and what appears to be the beautiful French walnut stock. The fact it's exhibited in the French Gallery lents credence to this speculation of French origin,but not necessarily the guns owner who may have been from central or eastern Europe judging from the grouse George identified. It would be interesting to know the guns provenance. Regards, Dick McE.