Pair of Flintlock Holster Pistols

Franz Matzenkopf

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This pair of pistols occupies a special place among the luxury firearms of eighteenth-century Europe, as one of the most significant works of the Bohemian school, and as a superlative example of the virtuosity of Franz Matzenkopf, a Prague gunmaker who may be regarded one of the best steel-chisellers working outside France during the period. Born in the village of Prutz in Tirol circa 1705, and apprenticed in Vienna in 1721, Matzenkopf worked as a journeyman in Prague from 1727, and became a master gunmaker there in 1731. He quickly became one of Prague's foremost eighteenth-century gunmakers by elevating the Bohemian tradition of adorning the various metal elements of luxury sporting firearms with ornament in low relief, to an unprecedented level, equal in workmanship to the finest French firearms of the time. His exceptional abilities are readily apparent in the high quality of the chiselled ornamentation of the pistols' barrels and lockplates. Matzenkopf appears to have no longer made and embellished firearms after 1738, when he left Prague to become the die-cutter and medallist of Lepold Anton von Firmian, Prince Archbishop of Salzburg. Only eight other firearms made by him during the years he resided in Prague have been identified to date.

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