Pair of Pistols with Flintlocks alla Fiorentina

Gunsmith Attributed to Cristiano Leoni Italian

ca. 1750–75

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 375

From ancient times, Lombardy, in northern Italy, was one of Europe’s most important industrial and arms-making regions. Beginning in the sixteenth century, production of firearms concentrated in and around the city of Brescia, which soon became widely known for the export of high-quality guns and pistols. Migrant craftsmen from Brescia helped establish firearms workshops in other parts of Italy. Sensitive to the tastes of their patrons, Italian inventors and gunmakers developed new constructions incorporating technological advances from France and Germany and styles derived from Spain’s political and cultural presence in Italian territories. Decoration on Italian firearms was confined mostly to the metal parts, which often were lavishly chiseled, pierced, and engraved to produce sculptural surfaces and lacelike adornments. The artist-chiselers based their compositions on fashionable Baroque patterns, floral motifs, and imagery drawn from local folklore.

Artwork Details

Title: Pair of Pistols with Flintlocks alla Fiorentina
Gunsmith: Attributed to Cristiano Leoni (Italian, Pistoia, active ca. 1780)
Date: ca. 1750–75
Geography: Pistoia
Culture: Italian, Pistoia
Medium: Steel, wood
Dimensions: L. of each 18 3/8 in. (46.7 cm); L. of each barrel 13 3/8 in. (33.9 cm); Cal. of each .46 in. (11.7 mm); Wt. of each 1 lb. 8 oz. (680 g)
Classification: Firearms-Pistols
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1928
Object Number: 28.196.15, .16
Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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