Album of Firearms Ornament Containing Approximately Five Hundred and Forty Inked Impressions of Engraved Firearms Locks and Mounts, and Forty-Two Original Pen and Ink Designs on Forty Double-Sided Leaves

Album of Firearms Ornament Containing Approximately Five Hundred and Forty Inked Impressions of Engraved Firearms Locks and Mounts, and Forty-Two Original Pen and Ink Designs on Forty Double-Sided Leaves

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

"Pulls" are images made by applying ink to an engraved metal object, pressing paper over it, and then "pulling" an impression from it. In the nineteenth century, gun engravers sometimes used this technique to record their work or to collect examples from other engravers. Ephemeral and utilitarian by nature, relatively few compilations like this album survive today. It is an invaluable record composed of over five hundred pulls from firearms decorated by leading gun engravers, mostly in Liege and Paris, plus forty-two original pen-and-ink designs.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Album of Firearms Ornament Containing Approximately Five Hundred and Forty Inked Impressions of Engraved Firearms Locks and Mounts, and Forty-Two Original Pen and Ink Designs on Forty Double-Sided LeavesAlbum of Firearms Ornament Containing Approximately Five Hundred and Forty Inked Impressions of Engraved Firearms Locks and Mounts, and Forty-Two Original Pen and Ink Designs on Forty Double-Sided LeavesAlbum of Firearms Ornament Containing Approximately Five Hundred and Forty Inked Impressions of Engraved Firearms Locks and Mounts, and Forty-Two Original Pen and Ink Designs on Forty Double-Sided LeavesAlbum of Firearms Ornament Containing Approximately Five Hundred and Forty Inked Impressions of Engraved Firearms Locks and Mounts, and Forty-Two Original Pen and Ink Designs on Forty Double-Sided LeavesAlbum of Firearms Ornament Containing Approximately Five Hundred and Forty Inked Impressions of Engraved Firearms Locks and Mounts, and Forty-Two Original Pen and Ink Designs on Forty Double-Sided Leaves

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.