Pair of Flintlock Pistols Made for Ferdinand IV, King of Naples and Sicily (1751-1825)

Pair of Flintlock Pistols Made for Ferdinand IV, King of Naples and Sicily (1751-1825)

Pair of Flintlock Pistols Made for Ferdinand IV, King of Naples and Sicily (1751-1825). Barrelsmith: Emanuel Esteva (Spanish, active in Naples, Italy, recorded about 1768-73). Culture: Italo-Spanish, Naples. Dimensions: L. of each 17 3/8 in. (44.1 cm); L. of each barrel 11 1/16 in. (28.1 cm); Cal. .63 in. (16.0 mm); Wt. of each 2 lb. 4 oz. (1021 g). Gunsmith: Michele Battista (Spanish, active in Naples, Italy, recorded about 1760-90). Manufacturer: Royal Arms Manufactory at Torre Annunziata (Italian, Naples, established 1757). Date: ca. 1768. The Royal Arms Factory in Naples was established in 1757 with the significant participation of Spanish gunmakers, who strongly influenced Neopolitan arms production in both technical innovations and artistic style. These magnificent pistols are signed by two leading craftsmen of the factory and appear to have been made for their patron, King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily (1751-1825). What may be portraits of the young king and his queen on the butts of the pistols suggests that they were made to commemorate the royal wedding in 1768.

Steel, gold, wood (walnut), silver

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Model: No - Property: No
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4311 x 2856 px | 35.2 MB

36.5 x 24.2 cm | 14.4 x 9.5 in (300 dpi)