Matchlock Gun

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

With its delicately painted stock and distinctive barrel type with an enlarged breech end, this gun was likely manufactured in Rajasthan, in northern India. Intended for the hunt, such richly decorated firearms were made for an aristocratic clientele. A similar example appears in a portrait of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58) from around 1635, indicating that guns of this style remained in fashion for several centuries with very little change.

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