Flintlock Gun

Le Faure

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This slender and elegant gun represents the great refinement of form, design, and function achieved by French gunmakers in the eighteenth century and emulated across Europe. The delicate silver wire inlays of its stock are based on French pattern books from 1705, while the carved and chiseled ornament of the stock, lock, and other fittings shows a wide range of Rococo motifs drawn from designs published as late as the 1740s.

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