These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.
Download this imageCreative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.
Wheel-lock pistol, Italian, c.1600, with mark inside lock.
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Length: 47 cm
Weight: 1305 g
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
17th Century, Early#
Production date:
circa
AD 1600
The wheellock pistol, which first appeared around 1500, had a firing mechanism which consisted of a steel wheel with a serrated edge mounted on the lockplate and attached to a strong spring. The axle of the wheel was square and it was turned with a detachable key through about half a turn where it was held by a catch attached to a trigger mechanism. The cock was mounted behind the wheel and could be lowered to hold a piece or flint or pyrites, fixed in its jaws, against the edge of the wheel. On releasing the trigger the wheel spun back to its resting position and in so doing the serrated edge caused a spray of sparks to ignite the priming powder in the pan set against the side of the barrel. A small hole connected the pan with the inside of the barrel where the main charge was set, igniting it and setting off the bullet. This is a very typical wheellock pistol – the stock, the wooden piece on which the barrels and lock are mounted, is very straight, unlike later pistols where the grip is angled downwards.
Accession number: HEN.M.437-1933
Primary reference Number: 19548
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Wheel-lock pistol" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/19548 Accessed: 2024-11-25 12:09:17
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/19548
|title=Wheel-lock pistol
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 12:09:17|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-19548
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa19/Hen_M_437_1933_281_29.jpg"
alt="Wheel-lock pistol"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Wheel-lock pistol</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...
