Flintlock Pistol
makerWorkshop of
Cominazzo Family
(Italian, Cominazzo family, 1600 - 1699)
Dateabout 1650-1675
Place MadeItaly, Europe
MediumIncised steel
Dimensions48.3 cm (19 in.)
ClassificationsWeapons and Ammunition
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberM11s2
eMuseum ID729041
EmbARK ObjectID11462
Previous Number117
TMS Source ID670
Last Updated8/9/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryIsabella Gardner kept this object in the drawer of a commode in the Macknight Room. It has never been published, likely because of its hidden gallery location. Today safely kept in collections storage, this object was examined by museum and consulting conservators. They noticed surface corrosion, evidence of gunpowder, suggesting that this pistol was at one time fired—whether by a baroque aristocrat or a Boston lady is yet unknown....
Christopher T. Richards. "Collection Section." Staff Newsletter (Dec. 2014).
Christopher T. Richards. "Collection Section." Staff Newsletter (Dec. 2014).
MarksNotesInscribed (the top rear end of the barrel): LAZZARINO COMINAZZO (maker's mark)
Inscribed (side beneath the flash pan): Andrea Medicin (likely a maker's mark for Andrea Medicina)
Inscribed (side beneath the flash pan): Andrea Medicin (likely a maker's mark for Andrea Medicina)
ProvenanceNotesPurchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner's husband, John L. Gardner, Jr. (1837-1898), from the art dealer Vincenzo Barone, Naples for 200 lire on 23 October 1897.
