Wheel-Lock Carbine for the Personal Guard (Trabanten) of Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg (r. 1587-1611)
Culture
German
, Suhl
Dateabout 1590
Mediumsteel, brass, bone, iron, and wood.
Dimensions88.9 × 66.7 cm, 9 mm (35 × 26 1/4 in.), 4 lb, 3 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
MarkingsSee digital file for mark at the top of the barrel at the breech.
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.51
DescriptionOctagonal, becoming round smooth bore barrel calibre 9 mm. Cannon muzzle with brass front sight, dovetailed brass rear sight. Stamped gun maker's mark over the breech with the designation "Sul". The barrel is numbered. A retaining peg for the front of the barrel has been lost.Smooth lock with lion marks. The mainspring is a bit crude, and the wear is mismatched at the chain. Wheel housing with a repair, and part of the trigger mechanism has been replaced. Forward screw on the trigger guard is definitely a replacement; the guard itself looks a bit fresh, but could be genuine. There is no release for the pan cover, and no safety catch, but this is consistent with a munitions-grade piece.
Walnut full stock with engraved bone inlays. A few inlays replaced: the inlays at the breech are less skilled than those on the sides of the butt, and the asymmetrical inlays on either side of the breech are slightly mismatched in color--the one on the left does not match the color of the other inlays on the piece. A similar replacement can be seen on the butt-plate, coarser in execution than the original portion. There are indications that portions of the inlayed edging have been replaced, particularly toward the ends, which look a bit fresher, and would be particularly subject to loss; a section of this edging has been replaced with wood near the firing-pan. There is a repaired break on the toe of the butt, possibly filled in with plastic wood.
Ramrod is knobbly; bone tip matches style of corresponding piece on stock, possibly a working-life replacement and repair; again, the style is suggestive of the hand responsible for the inlays at the breech and the repair to the butt-plate.
Label TextWolf-Dietrich von Raitenau came from a minor aristocratic family. As archbishop of Salzburg he was also the territorial ruler of the city and its surroundings. Like other Renaissance rulers, he kept a personal bodyguard of uniformed soldiers, serving both as protection and as a statement of his power. In 1611 Wolf-Dietrich went to war against the duchy of Bavaria over the taxation of Salzburg's salt exports. Defeated in the "Salt War," he was imprisoned in Salzburg, and kept in the custody of his successor, Marcus Sitticus, until his death in 1617.ProvenancePurchased on October 13, 2004 from Hermann Historica (Munich). Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
On View
On view
late 1700s-early 1800s
