Pair of Double-Barreled Flintlock Pistols

François-Alexander Chasteau

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pistols with side-by-side barrels became popular in England and France in the second half of the eighteenth century. This luxuriously decorated French pair exhibits the fashionable Rococo taste for asymmetry and whimsy in its elaborate parcel-gilt silver mounts and silver-wire inlay.

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