Inked Impression (or "Pull") of Engraved Firearms Ornament

Ernst Moritz

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This pull preserves the decoration of the left action of a counter plate and depicts a stumbling hunter amidst scrollwork. It was engraved in the 1840s by the master Ernst Moritz, who signed the work on the hunter’s left thigh. Moritz was an administrator at the Industrial School in Zella, Thuringia, Germany, and he trained many of the most talented German firearms engravers who would go on to settle in America and engrave for Colt, Winchester, Smith & Wesson, and other major firearms manufacturers, among them Louis D. Nimschke (1832–1904) (see acc. nos. 2018.856.19; 2018.856.20a–jjj), Gustave Young (1827–95) (see acc. no. 2002.233.2–.26; 2003.521; 2009.330; 2010.481a–l), Herman Bodenstein (1829–65), and John Marr (1831–1921).

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