Wheellock Rifle of Emperor Leopold I

1664

Stock: Johann Georg Maucher
German, Schwäbisch Gmünd, active 1650-1700
Lock and barrel: Michael Has

The cheek of the stock is decorated with the double-headed eagle, symbol of the Holy Roman Empire. A portrait of Emperor Leopold I is carved in its center, with the seven electors over the spread wings. This was likely meant to commemorate the emperor’s recent victory over the Ottomans, accomplished with the help of the electors. The rifle was one of a matching pair presented to him. The now lost mate to this gun was carved with the date 1664, the year a peace treaty was signed with the Ottoman sultan.

Status: On View, Gallery 239
Department: Applied Arts of Europe

Artist: Johann Georg Maucher
Title: Wheellock Rifle of Emperor Leopold I
Place: Gmünd (Artist's nationality)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1660–1670
Medium: Steel, brass, cherrywood, horn, staghorn
Dimensions: L. 104.2 cm (41 in.) Barrel L. 76.7 cm (30 3/16 in.) Wt. 8 lb. 8 oz. Caliber .50
Credit Line: George F. Harding Collection
Reference Number: 1982.2270
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/108757/manifest.json

Walter Karchieski, “Arms and Armor in the Art Institute of Chicago” (Art Institute of Chicago/Little, Brown, and Company, 1995), p. 75 (ill.)

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