An extremely rare short Landsknechts' matchlock harquebus, Suhl ?, ca. 1540

Matchlock · 24th March 2012, 04:01 PM

A piece of period artwork, by Reinhard Solms, ca. 1540, from his Kriegsbüchlein (war booklet).

Note both the characteristic tubular back sight - which on most original guns of that period is missing nowadays - and the shape of the butt stock.

m

Matchlock · 6th April 2012, 11:18 PM

Please compare this fine piece with a ca. 1530 Landsknecht matchlock arquebus being loaded, with the tinned iron bandolier conatainers and powder horn depicted, all illustrated in a contemporary Swiss piece of period artwork:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...153#post137153

Best,
Michael

Matchlock · 29th August 2014, 01:21 PM

This item was sold by auction with Fischer, Lucerne, Switzerland, 8 Sepember 2011, lot 360,
inadequately termed a 'matchlock musket', though the item was intended to pretend to be the formal predeccesor of both muskets and pistols, which is an arquebus.

This fake was done with utmost perfection, almost beyond imagination.

The facts, though, are:
1. Both my dear and great friend Armin König and I knew the person Armin had sold his replica to, R.G.; he lived in Linz, Austria, and he died only this spring.
On my request, Armin rebuild not my sample but the best preserved that is still in the (stored) collection of the Gäubodenmuseum Straubing, Lower Bavaria.
It is illustrated here in contrast with Armin's gun, in 'aged' condition.

I'm feeling very sad for that nice guy, R.G., and his wife because he we had been friends since 1989. He was only 68 years old when he was gone.
This why I waited up this day - apart from the mere fact that I had to spend more than a year and-a-half in hospitals, from September 2012 through April 2014.

2. All measurements are identical with Armin's replica models.

3. That gun is simply in an 'OVERAGED' state of condition, though extremely well done - it must have been buried in a heap of dunk in Hungary for two years or so ...

The experts and the well-reonwned traditonal Swiss auction house Fischer are not to blame for not identifying it as what it actually is.
All the historic background information provided by their catalog had come from that person, who, of course, got it all from me.

I had to go down there all those 600 kilometers (one way, and we drove back the very same day!) just to handle, dismantle and photodocument that object for about an hour.

Even still:
On that research done with utmost meticulous precision, and an investment of about 500 euros, plus with all my knowledge backing me up -
Had I not known that that R.G. had ordered, among others, a Straubing replica from Armin years ago, and had I not known what he was always striving for - to produce, and sell, optimum 'quality' fakes - , I would not have been able to discern whether that object was made in ca. 1540 or in 2009!

That really shook me to the bone!
I was just lucky enough to have all that accumulated background knowledege, plus my 40-year-old studies, personal contacts, and a whole lot more.
Without all that, I would never have had the slightest chance to tell whether that sample was authentic and some 470 years old - or just 3 years, like it actually was.

Luckily, both Armin König and I can prove every single detail that I have listed up here.
As always, this is nothing than the bare facts - as sad as it is true.

As ever, though, and to me as a skilled collector, the sober outcome of it all was:
Provided that I not had my fine and original Straubing arquebus for more than 30 years by then, and had consequently been in search for it still - what do you think I told my dear friend R.M.?
He drove and accompanied me on that trip, and has been at my side for about a quaret of a century.

So here is what I told him right away, on leaving the viewing rooms:
"Even if I had been able to tell for sure, I would definitely NOT have bought that gun - just because it was in a state of condition way too bad for my collection."

ORIGINAL CONDITION OF ALL SURFACES is what counts most.
Next to it are:
PROVENANCE
AGE/PERIOD
RARITY
Quality of WORKMANSHIP

AND ONLY THEN,
the crucial question is:
Can it PERFECTLY, and FINALLY, FILL A CERTAIN GAP in my collection?

Enjoy comparing, and studying; I will be adding more and better photos soon.

Best for the moment being,

Armin König
Kirchstr. 3
D-95691 Hohenberg a.d. Eger
Northern Bavaria, Germany

Michael Trömner
Rebenstr. 9
D-93326 Abensberg
Lower Bavaria, Germany

Matchlock · 29th August 2014, 04:13 PM

Attached to this post are only images of the fake sample.

m

Spiridonov · 2nd September 2014, 11:45 AM

Hello, Michael! My Dear Friend, thank You for sharing this. It's especially precious that You show us disassembled parts of arquebuses and inner surfaces of locks. Usually we can see only exterior and it doesn't give us complete information.

Matchlock · 8th September 2014, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiridonov

Hello, Michael! My Dear Friend, thank You for sharing this. It's especially precious that You show us disassembled parts of arquebuses and inner surfaces of locks. Usually we can see only exterior and it doesn't give us complete information.

Hello Alexender,
My dear friend!

I knew right from the start that you would appreciate this important little extra information I tried to convey posting these images.

Unfortunately, they a are of much worse quality than the ones I usually take; I had to employ a digital camera that beloged to the firm my friend works for - and that thing was set to only a minimum rate of resolution. So each image was less than 50 kB, which is literally ridiculous, just nothing!
My own camera is set to a minimum of 4 MB for each picture ...

Anyway, I tried to make the best out of those 'photos' by photoshopping.

Best as ever,
Michael

bkp747 · 8th September 2014, 08:29 PM

Another fantastic post, Michael. I love your detailed pictures, and the depth of your knowledge concerning weapons of this period. Thanks, again.

24th March 2012, 04:01 PM	#1
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	A piece of period artwork, by Reinhard Solms, ca. 1540, from his Kriegsbüchlein (war booklet). Note both the characteristic tubular back sight - which on most original guns of that period is missing nowadays - and the shape of the butt stock. m Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 24th March 2012 at 05:59 PM.

6th April 2012, 11:18 PM	#2
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Please compare this fine piece with a ca. 1530 Landsknecht matchlock arquebus being loaded, with the tinned iron bandolier conatainers and powder horn depicted, all illustrated in a contemporary Swiss piece of period artwork: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...153#post137153 Best, Michael Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 6th April 2012 at 11:39 PM.

29th August 2014, 01:21 PM	#3
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Quite a Perfect Fake of a Straubing Landsknechts' Matchlock Arquebus, ca. 1540 This item was sold by auction with Fischer, Lucerne, Switzerland, 8 Sepember 2011, lot 360, inadequately termed a 'matchlock musket', though the item was intended to pretend to be the formal predeccesor of both muskets and pistols, which is an arquebus. This fake was done with utmost perfection, almost beyond imagination. The facts, though, are: 1. Both my dear and great friend Armin König and I knew the person Armin had sold his replica to, R.G.; he lived in Linz, Austria, and he died only this spring. On my request, Armin rebuild not my sample but the best preserved that is still in the (stored) collection of the Gäubodenmuseum Straubing, Lower Bavaria. It is illustrated here in contrast with Armin's gun, in 'aged' condition. I'm feeling very sad for that nice guy, R.G., and his wife because he we had been friends since 1989. He was only 68 years old when he was gone. This why I waited up this day - apart from the mere fact that I had to spend more than a year and-a-half in hospitals, from September 2012 through April 2014. 2. All measurements are identical with Armin's replica models. 3. That gun is simply in an 'OVERAGED' state of condition, though extremely well done - it must have been buried in a heap of dunk in Hungary for two years or so ... The experts and the well-reonwned traditonal Swiss auction house Fischer are not to blame for not identifying it as what it actually is. All the historic background information provided by their catalog had come from that person, who, of course, got it all from me. I had to go down there all those 600 kilometers (one way, and we drove back the very same day!) just to handle, dismantle and photodocument that object for about an hour. Even still: On that research done with utmost meticulous precision, and an investment of about 500 euros, plus with all my knowledge backing me up - Had I not known that that R.G. had ordered, among others, a Straubing replica from Armin years ago, and had I not known what he was always striving for - to produce, and sell, optimum 'quality' fakes - , I would not have been able to discern whether that object was made in ca. 1540 or in 2009! That really shook me to the bone! I was just lucky enough to have all that accumulated background knowledege, plus my 40-year-old studies, personal contacts, and a whole lot more. Without all that, I would never have had the slightest chance to tell whether that sample was authentic and some 470 years old - or just 3 years, like it actually was. Luckily, both Armin König and I can prove every single detail that I have listed up here. As always, this is nothing than the bare facts - as sad as it is true. As ever, though, and to me as a skilled collector, the sober outcome of it all was: Provided that I not had my fine and original Straubing arquebus for more than 30 years by then, and had consequently been in search for it still - what do you think I told my dear friend R.M.? He drove and accompanied me on that trip, and has been at my side for about a quaret of a century. So here is what I told him right away, on leaving the viewing rooms: "Even if I had been able to tell for sure, I would definitely NOT have bought that gun - just because it was in a state of condition way too bad for my collection." ORIGINAL CONDITION OF ALL SURFACES is what counts most. Next to it are: PROVENANCE AGE/PERIOD RARITY Quality of WORKMANSHIP AND ONLY THEN, the crucial question is: Can it PERFECTLY, and FINALLY, FILL A CERTAIN GAP in my collection? Enjoy comparing, and studying; I will be adding more and better photos soon. Best for the moment being, Armin König Kirchstr. 3 D-95691 Hohenberg a.d. Eger Northern Bavaria, Germany Michael Trömner Rebenstr. 9 D-93326 Abensberg Lower Bavaria, Germany Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 29th August 2014 at 04:32 PM.

29th August 2014, 04:13 PM	#4
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Attached to this post are only images of the fake sample. m Attached Images

2nd September 2014, 11:45 AM	#5
Spiridonov Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Russia, Leningrad Posts: 355	Hello, Michael! My Dear Friend, thank You for sharing this. It's especially precious that You show us disassembled parts of arquebuses and inner surfaces of locks. Usually we can see only exterior and it doesn't give us complete information.

8th September 2014, 08:29 PM	#7
bkp747 Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 15	Another fantastic post, Michael. I love your detailed pictures, and the depth of your knowledge concerning weapons of this period. Thanks, again.