Austria / c. 1660–1720
Wheel-Lock from a Hunting Rifle
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Wheel-Lock from a Hunting Rifle as arms and armor (Austria · c. 1660–1720).
Invented in the early 1500s, the wheel-lock was a new type of ignition system, the first to be self igniting.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as steel, inlaid with gold design of Habsburg eagle, pierced and chiseled.
The museum's collection notes: Originally part of a deluxe weapon, the lock plate's entire surface is inlaid with an exquisite floral pattern in gold. Carefully chiseled, the fanciful hammer takes the form of an animal head crowned by a mass of foliage. The double eagle on the wheel plate suggests the weapon was made for a member of the Habsburg family.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtWheel-Lock from a Hunting RifleOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.