Powder Flask

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

During the sixteenth century, German gunmakers set the European standard for continually improving firearms technology. The rifling of gun barrels (cutting of spiral grooves longitudinally on the interior of the barrel) was developed in Germany by the late fifteenth century and greatly improved the accuracy of hunting weapons. The wheellock remained the preferred firing mechanism in Germanic lands well into the eighteenth century. By then, its design and operation had been refined to the greatest possible extent. The earliest highly decorated firearms are of southern German origin. Throughout the sixteenth century, the German style of firearms ornament was the most influential in Europe, giving way to the French style only in the second quarter of the seventeenth century.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.

Metropolitan Museum of Art