Gun Shield

1545-1550 (Renaissance)

46.5 cm 30.1 cm

Citation Source image

This is a rare, experimental combination of body armor (shield) and a weapon (matchlock gun). The gunsmith Giovanni Battista of Ravenna proposed this gun shield to King Henry VIII of England in 1544. Interested in technology, the king had 100 made for his bodyguards.As a firea...

Artifact

id
id
29199
contentType
contentType
object
stage
stage
normalized
provenance
provenance
Armory at the Tower of London; John Beardmore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Beardmore Sale, London, 1921, lot 17; Walters Art Museum, 1981, by gift [purchased through a fund donated by Joseph Kindig, Jr.'s three children].
rightsUri
rightsUri
CC0
language
language
en
pageCount
pageCount
1
source
source
import
Source image fields (5)
thumbnailUrl https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PL9_51.1414_Fnt_BW_C81.jpg
largeImageUrl https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PL9_51.1414_Fnt_BW_C81.jpg
iiifBase https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PL9_51.1414_Fnt_BW_C81.jpg
imageCount 1
sourceUrl https://purl.thewalters.org/art/51.1414