Austria, Ferlach, mid 17th Century / mid-1600s
Wheel-Lock Hunting Rifle
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Wheel-Lock Hunting Rifle as arms and armor (Austria, Ferlach, mid 17th Century · mid-1600s).
A similar rifle made for another member of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Graf Sigmund von Dietrichstein, is preserved in Vienna.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as steel, varnished wood (walnut) stock decorated with inlaid silver wire and appliqués and credits Hans Schmidt (Austrian, 1669).
The museum's collection notes: The barrel of this hunting piece is marked with the letters "GS" within a shield, the likely initials of the owner, who was probably a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece as indicated by the escutcheon on the stock.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtWheel-Lock Hunting RifleOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.