Flintlock Swivel-Breech Longrifle

David Boyer

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Based on his surviving work, Boyer seems to have specialized in swivel breech over-and-under rifles, like this example. A swivel breech mechanism has two barrels, placed one above the other, which are rotated manually, or swiveled, after each shot. The architecture of this rifle, especially the downward curving "Roman-nose" form of the buttstock, the style of the patch box, and other details of the decoration, relate closely to rifles made by members the Angstadt family in neighboring Berks County, suggesting that Boyer may have trained in their workshop, or another in that area, probably in the 1820s. Although Boyer’s known rifles are firmly rooted in the style of the early nineteenth century, he had a long career and is still recorded as a gunsmith in the federal census of 1870.

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