Flintlock Repeating Pistol with Lorenzoni Action

Flintlock Repeating Pistol with Lorenzoni Action

Harvey Walklate Mortimer

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Harvey Walklate Mortimer, gunmaker to George III (1738–1820), took special interest in the repeating mechanism thought to have been invented by gunmaker Michele Lorenzoni (d. 1733) in Florence over one hundred years earlier. Complex internally, the Lorenzoni system allowed for up to ten successive shots, feeding from a magazine concealed inside the grip. A half-turn of the lever forward and back reloaded, primed, and cocked the pistol. Mortimer’s Lorenzoni-type firearms, meticulously constructed, reflect his desire to update and refine a successful design he admired from the past.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Flintlock Repeating Pistol with Lorenzoni ActionFlintlock Repeating Pistol with Lorenzoni ActionFlintlock Repeating Pistol with Lorenzoni ActionFlintlock Repeating Pistol with Lorenzoni ActionFlintlock Repeating Pistol with Lorenzoni Action

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.