Matchlock Petronel

French

firearm-long gunarms

Date

1570/80

Medium

Steel, iron, fruitwood, staghorn, and horn

Dimensions

L. 122 cm (48 1/2 in.) Barrel L. 101.6 cm (40 in.) Wt. 7 lb. 12 oz. Caliber .60

Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

Location

Chicago, IL

Credit

George F. Harding Collection

Petronels were shot from the chest (their name comes from the French word for chest, poitrine). These crook-butted long guns were a popular stock design for a few decades at the end of the 16th century. They were soon supplanted by more practical shoulder stocks as the recoil resulted in chronic chest injuries.

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