Vittoriano
Double-wheeled pistol with two barrels
Saxon production 1580–1590
Smooth overlapping barrels. The side plate for double wheel-lock is engraved with scrolls and foliage with birds; between the two safety levers there is a shield mark with a hunting horn and the letters “BW.” Perforated gilded metal casings for the wheel-lock mechanism, shaped hammers engraved with monstrous figures. The entire frame is made of steel engraved with scrolls and foliage, with a deer hunting scene on the left side and the coat of arms of Saxony held up by two rampant lions. The grip is covered with twisted wire, with a large pommel in eight segments engraved with the usual scrolls and heads of warriors and winged cherubs. Wooden ramrod with ball striker.
Smooth overlapping barrels. The side plate for double wheel-lock is engraved with scrolls and foliage with birds; between the two safety levers there is a shield mark with a hunting horn and the letters “BW.” Perforated gilded metal casings for the wheel-lock mechanism, shaped hammers engraved with monstrous figures. The entire frame is made of steel engraved with scrolls and foliage, with a deer hunting scene on the left side and the coat of arms of Saxony held up by two rampant lions. The grip is covered with twisted wire, with a large pommel in eight segments engraved with the usual scrolls and heads of warriors and winged cherubs. Wooden ramrod with ball striker.
Details of work
Denomination: Double-wheeled pistol with two barrels Milieu Saxon production Object date: 1580–1590 Material:
Steel, Wood, Gold
Dimensions: weight 2546 g
Typology:
Weapons
Acquisition: 1959 Place: Palazzo Venezia
Main inventory number:
12803
Other numbers: Odescalchi n. 1513
Catalog entry
This pistol exemplifies the technical perfection achieved by sixteenth-century gunsmiths in firearm manufacturing. The wheel-lock mechanism represents one of the most intricate types to produce, requiring refinement and precision akin to watchmaking. Notably, this pistol features a double firing mechanism controlled by a single trigger. Given the lengthy and complex reloading process of pistols from this era, the ability to fire two preloaded shots was advantageous. However, these weapons also served as tests of skill that only the most sophisticated gunsmiths could undertake. Despite their complexity, wheel mechanisms were preferred over flintlocks, especially in hunting and target shooting where accuracy was paramount. This precision was often enhanced by special technical features, such as the double-stage trigger mechanism. Di Carpegna (1969, 77) references a similar pistol bearing the coat of arms of Saxony, dated 1584, and preserved in the Musée de l’Armée Invalides in Paris (M 1634). Scalini (2018, 162) hypothesizes that both pistols were made for Elector Augustus I of Saxony, who was an art enthusiast and statesman engaged in ongoing conflict with the empire and Calvinists. It is generally accepted that such craftsmanship was conducted directly in Saxony, evidenced by the highly decorative style and the recurring stylistic features found on many surviving pieces.
Riccardo Franci
Entry published on 12 June 2025
State of conservation
Excellent. A few surface alterations due to old oxidation.
Coats of arms, emblems, and marks
On the cartridge, between the two safety levers, there is a shield-shaped mark with a hunting horn and the letters “BW”;
the coat of arms of Saxony is engraved on the left side of the pistol.
Provenance
Collezione Odescalchi, 1959;
Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, June 30, 1959.
Exhibition history
Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, Antiche armi dal sec. IX al XVIII. Già Collezione Odescalchi, May–July 1969;
Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, Belle e terribili. La collezione Odescalchi, December 18, 2002–March 23, 2003;
Rome, Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo; Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, Armi e potere nell’Europa del Rinascimento, July 26–November 11, 2018.
References
Hayward John Forrest, The Art of the Gunmaker, 2 voll., London 1962-1963, I-II, pp. 81, 282, tav. 13b;
Baxter David Robert, Superimposed Load firearms, London 1966, p. 22;
Boccia Lionello Giorgio, Nove secoli di armi da caccia, Firenze 1967, n. 50;
di Carpegna Nolfo, Armi da fuoco nella collezione Odescalchi, Roma 1968, p. 32, n. 6;
di Carpegna Nolfo (a cura di), Antiche armi dal sec. IX al XVIII. Già Collezione Odescalchi, catalogo della mostra (Roma, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, maggio-luglio 1969), con schede a cura del curatore, Roma 1969, p. 77, n. 470;
di Carpegna Nolfo, Le armi Odescalchi, Roma 1976, p. 77;
Barberini Maria Giulia (a cura di), Belle e terribili. La collezione Odescalchi. Armi bianche e da fuoco, catalogo della mostra (Roma, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, 18 dicembre 2002-23 marzo 2003), Roma 2002, p. 98;
Scalini, in Scalini Mario (a cura di), Armi e potere nell’Europa del Rinascimento, catalogo della mostra (Roma, Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo; Roma, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, 26 luglio-11 novembre 2018), Cinisello Balsamo 2018, p. 162, n. V.11.
Related objects
