Sala Armi
A1 Trombones, mechanisms and accessories
Trombones, parts of guns and accessories
1. Italy (?)
Musket barrel
Mid-16th century
Steel
2. Italy
Hand cannon barrel with dragon head
circa 1520-1530
Steel
Originally mounted on an arquebus half case along with the following inscribed note: “Trombone rifle found in the home of the bandit called Passatore”, aka Stefano Pelloni (Boncellino di Bagnacavallo 1824 – Russi 1851), a famous ringleader from Romagna.
3. Italy (?)
Serpentine for musket
Second half of the 16th century
Steel
Used to ignite the weapon, the curved piece of iron called a dragon inspired its image.
4. Italy
Decorated powder flask
Late 17th century
Boiled leather
5. Western Europe
Powder flask
Late 17th – early 18th century
Brass
6. Western Europe
Ammunition bag
Late 18th century
Leather, brass
7. Boche a Paris, Paris
Powder horn
circa 1820-1830
Ox horn, brass
8-9. Northern Italy
Florentine-syle flintlock for arquebus
circa 1650-1660; circa 1660-1670
Steel
The old Italian term focile first referred to the flintlock ignition mechanism called fucile (rifle), then, from the late 17th century, to the long gun, especially military, on which the mechanism was mounted.
10. Giovanni di Domenico Buoni, Cavriago
Florentine-style flintlock for arquebus
circa 1680
Steel
11. Marche region
Roman-style flintlock for arquebus
circa 1720-1740
Steel
The ignition mechanism known as “Roman” is of Umbrian production, on the border between Tuscany and Le Marche, an area where several firearms makers had their headquarters.
12. Beneventi Workshop, Spilamberto
Modern-style flintlock for pistol
circa 1740-1750
Steel
13. Rinaldo Cavicchioli, Modena
Modern-style flintlock for pistol
circa 1760-1770
Steel
14. Antonio Cavicchioli, Modena
Modern-style flintlock for double-barreled shotgun
circa 1760-1770
Steel
15. Spadini Workshop, Rome
Roma-style flintlock for double-barreled shotgun
Late 18th – early 19th century
Steel
16. Italy
Hand grenade
Late 17th – early 18th century
Glass
17. Italy
Cannon ball
18th century
Iron
To be chained to a second ball by means of an attachment whose cavity remains; this type was used primarily in the navy, but there were also uses against the cavalry.
18. Liège and central Italy
Trombone with Roman-style flintlock
circa 1780
Steel, wood, brass
19. France and Northern Italy
Trombone
Late 18th century
Steel, wood, brass
20. Western Europe and Northern Italy
Trombone
Early 19th century
Steel, wood
21. Italy and Germany (?)
Trombone
18th and 19th century
Steel, wood, bone, antler
22. Modena
Model of field cannon
Mid- 18th century
Brass, wood
From the University of Modena, 1898
A2 Arquebuses and folding guns
Arquebuses and folding guns
23. Antonio Apparuti, Modena
Valley arquebus
1825
Steel, wood, antler, silver
The name of the arquebusier is engraved on the mechanism. The carving of a wild animal on the stock, which was typical of many hunting guns from 1810-1830, is of particular value.
24. Central northern Italy
Florentine-style folding gun
Early 18th century
Steel and wood
25. Northern Italy
Folding gun
circa 1720-1740
Steel, wood, brass and silver
A3 Arquebuses and folding guns
Arquebuses and folding guns
26. Gardone Riviera and Sardinia
Sardinian arquebus
Last third of the 18th century
Steel, wood and brass
27. Europe (Germany ?)
Arquebus
circa 1865
Steel, wood, bone and mother-of-pearl
28. Germanic area (?)
Wheellock arquebus
17th – 18th and 19th century
Steel, wood, bone, brass
Called “wheellock” because of the type of mechanism invented by da Vinci, it is embellished by a decoration in bone depicting a hunter attacking a boar and a horseback rider shooting an animal that is ripping apart a dog.
29. Italy (?)
Large arquebus barrel with gaff
Second half of the 15th century
Wrought iron
30. Albania or Greece
Tancica, long arquebus with flintlock
Late 18th – early 19th century
Steel, wood, brass and mother-of-pearl
31. Brescia and the Balkans
Rasak, long arquebus with flintlock
Second quarter of the 19th century
Steel, wood and brass
A4 Arquebuses and folding guns
Arquebuses and folding guns
32. Northern Italy
Folding gun
circa 1720-1740
Steel, wood, brass
33. Northern Italy
Folding gun
1720-1740
Steel, wood, brass
34. Northern Italy
Valley arquebus
circa 1760-1780
Steel, wood, silver
A5 Firearms Pistols
Pistols
35. Bernardo Angeli, Cavriago
Pistol
circa 1680
Steel, wood, horn
36. Northern Italy and United Kingdom
Long pistol
circa late 17th – first half of 18th century
Steel, wood, silver
The engraved letter E, along with the ducal crown and the eagles, suggest Este provenance.
37. Northern Italy and Northern Europe (?)
Pistol
17th and early 18th century
Steel, wood, brass
38-39. Northern Italy
Pistol
circa 1710-1720
Steel, wood, brass
40. Northern Italy
Pistol
Mid-18th century
Steel, wood, brass
41. Northern Italy
Style key
Mid-17th century
Steel
Used for disassembling and repairing firearms.
42. Italy
Cap holder
circa 1830-1850
Brass and steel
Small container for caps containing mercury fulminate, a type of explosive used in percussion lock systems
43. Giovan Battista and Luca Zugno, Brescia
Long pistol
circa 1720-1730
Steel, wood, brass
44. Northern Italy
Pistol
Circa 1730-1740
Steel, wood, brass
The writing “F. Bigoni” probably refers to Francesco Bigoni of Brescia.
The flint is inserted on the gun.
45. Liège
Pistol
circa 1750-1770
Steel, wood and bronze
46. Northern Italy
Short pistol
circa 1700 and 1720
Steel, wood and brass
47. Martinoni, Brescia
Short pistol
circa 1730-1740
Steel, wood
48. Antonio Pantaglioni, Modena
Mazzagatto
circa 1750-1760
Steel, wood
49. Pietro Boneti, Modena
Mazzagatto
circa 1750
Steel, wood, silver
50. Liège
Rifled tinder-pistol
circa 1830
Steel, wood
51. Western Europe
Percussion powder tester
Mid-19th century
Steel, wood
Tool used for testing gunpowder.
52. Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Roman-style tinder-pistol
Late 18th century
Steel, wood, brass
53-54. Giuseppe Bonfati, Modena
Gang molds
1768
Bronze, horn
Shaped like a nutcracker, this tool was used to obtain spherical projectiles by pouring molten lead.
B1 - B3 Horse tack Bits - From war, to hunting, to personal defense
Horse tack. Spurs and stirrups, Bits
1. Western Europe (Germany ?)
Bit with so-called simple cannon mouthpiece
Late 15th – early 16th century
Carved steel
2. Western Europe
A scaccia bit
First half of the 16th century
Carved steel
Federico Grisone in his Orders to Ride (1551) indicates the a scaccia bit as a relatively soft mouthpiece for the horse.
3. Western Europe
A scaccia bit
circa 1600-1620
Steel and carved bronze
4. Western Europe (Southern Germany ?)
A scaccia bit
Late 16th – early 18th century
Carved steel
5. Italy
Gooseneck bit with rollers and eggbutts
First half of the 17th century
Carved steel
6. Western Europe (France ?)
Simple cannon bit
First half of the 17th century
Carved steel and gilded bronze, fire-cast then retouched when cold
7. Northern Italy or France
Bit with chiappone bridge
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel, fire-cast bronze retouched when cold
The shell-shaped bronze inserts bear witness to the success of the ornate French-style rocaille, which was made popular by the equestrian school of Versailles.
8. Italy
Gooseneck bit with pizzetta and eggbutts
Mid-17th century
Carved steel, bronze
The eggbutts arranged on the sides, each of which is accompanied by a revolving ring, is followed by a mobile bridge connected to a tongue-twister called a pizzetta.
9. Western Europe
A scaccia bit
Circa 1600-1620
Steel and carved bronze
10. Italy
Half cannon bit with piston
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
The definition “with piston” comes from the shape of the mouthpiece.
11. Italy
So-called chiappone bit with eggbutts
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
12. Italy
Half cannon bit with gooseneck
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
13. Italy
So-called “Pignatelli” bit
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
This type of mouthpiece, which is characterized by mechanisms that were particularly painful for the horse, is attributed to Gianbattista Pignatelli (Naples 1525-1558).
14. Italy
Chiappone bit
Late 17th century
Carved steel
The mouthpiece is characterized by two mobile arms ending in a closed fist.
15. Italy
Chiappone bit with grooved eggbutts
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel, bronze (?)
16. Italy
Chiappone bit with eggbutts and rings
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
17. Italy
Chiappone bit with rollers
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
Characterized by two mobile pear-shaped rollers and a toothed tongue press, it is a particularly violent bit.
18. Italy
Half a scaccia bit with “cat foot”
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
19. Italy
Chiappone bit with eggbutts
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
20. Italy
“Cat foot” bit with eggbutts
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
The three lateral rings make it possible to vary the position of the reins and to use more than one pair at a time, held respectively by the rider or by someone accompanying him on foot or on an already trained horse.
21. Western Europe
Spiked spur
Second half of the 13th century
Steel
22. Western Europe
Roweled spur
1420-1430
Engraved steel
23. Italy
Roweled spur
1450-1470
Engraved bronze
The outer faces of the spur are adorned with the writing “AMOR AMOR”
24. Western Europe
Roweled spur
1640-1650
Engraved and burnished steel
25. Italy
Spur with movable shanks
Late 17th – early 18th century
Steel and bronze
26. Italy (?)
Comb spur
Possibly late 18th century
Steel and leather
27. Italy
Roweled spur
Mid-19th century
Carved, engraved and stamped bronze
28. Northern Africa (Algeria ?)
Spur with sharp spike
19th century
Carved steel
29. Italy
Stirrup
Mid-17th century
Carved steel
30. Southern Italy
Donkey spur
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
Both sides of the stirrup have a heart motif alongside two triangles and two half-moons.
31. Italy
Stirrup
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
32. Western Europe and Italy
Postilion boot with roweled spur
Mid-18th century (boot); late 18th – early 19th century (spur)
Boiled leather, steel
The postilion was the post station clerk in charge of driving the horses and carriages to the next station, a rather hard job given the long hours spent in the saddle without protection from the elements. On his feet he wore large boots that he could not have walked in, but if the horse fell they were able to bear its weight.
33. Stirrup for youth
Second half of the 17th century
Carved steel
Used by children or teenagers, the stirrup is of smaller size to prevent the foot from getting stuck when the heel crosses the tread.
34. Italy
Postilion stirrup
First half of the 18th century
Carved steel
35. Italy
Stirrup
First half of the 19th century
Carved steel
36. Italy
Half cannon bit with gooseneck
Second half of the 18th century
Carved steel
37. Italy
Bit with rollers and expanding tongue press
Second half of the 18th century
Carved steel laminated in brass
This is the most original bit in the collection and bears witness, in its being the only example, to the search for ever new mouthpiece solutions.
38. Italy
Pelham bit
Mid-19th century
Carved and nickel-plated steel
Type of bit of Anglo-Saxon origin named after its inventor. It is still used today in show jumping and cross-country riding.
39. Italy
Chiappone bit
Late 18th – early 19th century
Carved steel
40. Modena
Chiappone bit with tongue press
Mid-19th century
Carved steel
This bit is a testament to 19th century Modenese craftsmanship: the external sides of the shanks in fact bear the inscriptions “Modena” and “Nasi” or “Masi”
41. Italy
“Ginetta” style bit
Second half of the 18th century
This type of bit is of Moorish origin and has a large ring-shaped tongue press.
42. F. or E. Conti, Milan
Rigid a scaccia bit
Late 18th century
Carved nickel-plated steel, embossed and burnished
The decorative coat of arms with shield probably refers to the Duke of Amalfi Mario Fici and Grugno who, having moved to Modena following his marriage to Lucrezia Marescotti in 1788, became governor of the city and gentlemen of the chamber of the Duke Ercole III of Este.
43. Italy
Rigid cannon bit with clevis
Mid-19th century
Carved steel
The clevis is the curved plate that rests on the part of the horse’s head between the chin and the jaw.
44. Italy
Draft horse mouthpiece
Mid-19th century
Carved steel
45. Italy
Horse mouthpiece with double trot tongue press
Mid-19th century
Steel
46. Italy
Nazarina
Early 19th century
Carved steel
A nazarina consists of a harness to support the mouthpiece, used in horse taming.
47. Italy
Bridle
Mid-19th century
Carved steel
Placed above the horse’s nose, the bridle was used to accustom young horses or those that refused the bit to the action of the lever.
48. Western Europe (England ?)
Nazarina
Second half of the 19th century
Carved steel with leather padding
49. Italy
Snaffle bit
Mid-19th century
The rings on either side of the mouthpiece are used for inserting the reins.
50. Italy
Curb chain
Mid-19th century
Steel
Placed under the horse’s chin, it was used to enhance the function of the bit to which it was connected.
51. Western Europe, Italy
Horseshoe
Late 16th – early 17th century
Wrought steel
52. Western Europe (Italy ?)
Donkey or mule shoe
17th century
Wrought steel
53. Western Europe (Italy ?)
Adjustable horseshoe
Late 18th – early 19th century
Wrought steel
54. Western Europe (Germany ?)
Pair of sleigh harnesses
First half of the 19th century
Leather, steel, lead
The straps of the harness are oriented in opposite directions so that they can be applied to either the left or right leg of the horse.
C1 - C3 Cold weapons Blades and tips
Cold weapons. Blades and tips
1. England
Sword
Late 18th century
Bronze, steel, copper wire
2. Germanic area
Small sword
1740-1760
Worked bronze, steel
3. Italy
Sword
Early 14th century
Steel
4. Giacomo Vincenzi, Modena
Small sword with sheath
1820-1837
Silver, horn, steel, leather
5. Italy (?)
Small sword
circa 1830
Bronze, steel, brass
The pommel is in the shape of a heroic headdress, fashionable throughout Europe during the Restoration period.
6. Piedmont area
Sword
circa 1720
Bronze, steel and copper wire
7. Venice
Schiavona
Steel, wood, twine
16th -17th century
Weapon typical of the Overseas Infantry of the Republic of Venice, it is stamped with the Lion of San Marco, used to mark weapons and armor of the Venetian arsenals. The Overseas infantrymen were called the soldiers of the Serenissima, coming from “beyond the sea”; also known by the name of Schiavoni, they were of Christian religion and were originally from Dalmatia, Venetian Albania and the Ionian Islands.
8. Modena
Academic small sword with sheath
Mid-19th century
Bronze, steel, mother-of-pearl, leather
Small sword from the uniform of Adeodato Malatesta (Modena, 1806-1891), the most important Modenese painter of the 19th century. The sheath bears the Latin maxim Florent in domo domini, “They prosper in the house of the Lord.”
9. Piedmont
Sleeve bayonet
Second half of the 19th century
Steel
Short cold weapon in the shape of a dagger or knife to be inserted into the end of a rifle barrel, the term bayonet derives from the French town of Bayonne in the Lower Pyrenees, where from the mid-16th century very popular daggers were produced.
10. Italy
Dagger
Late 16th – early 18th century
Steel
11. Italy
Hunting knife with sheath
18th century
Steel, horn, silver, leather
12. Tirol
Kuse transformed into a cutlass
1649
Steel, horn, bone, brass
Weapon typical of the guards of the important Hapsburg-Austrian figures, the sample on display, transformed into a cutlass, was originally a polearm derived from a scythe. The initials of Ferdinando Carlo, Archduke of Austria, lord of Tyrol, can be seen in the decoration.
13. Central Europe
Hunting knife
18th century
Steel, horn, brass
The figure of a hussar on horseback is engraved on the blade under the writing Pro Deo et Patr[ia], “For God and Homeland”
14. Brescia
Stiletto
Second half of the 17th century
Steel
15. Italy
Stiletto with sheath
19th century
Steel, ivory, nickel silver
Small and dangerous, as well as being easily concealed, it could be a weapon of self-defense for a woman.
16. Europe
Swordstick
Late 18th – early 19th century
Steel, wood, silver
The hidden blade inside bears the inscription Honni soit qui mal y pense, “Shame on him who thinks evil of it,” motto of the Most Noble Order of the Garter which is symbolically associated with the stick and its use.
17. Spain (?)
Paloscio (deer catcher)
1730-1750
Bronze, bone, brass, steel
18. Europe (Germany ?)
Paloscio (deer catcher)
1750-1760
Bronze, brass, steel, bone grip tinted with green
19. Austria
Paloscio (deer catcher)
circa 1780
Bronze, brass, bone, steel
20. Europe
Hunting dagger with sheath
Early 19th century
Brass, steel, natural deer antler
21. Piedmont
Hunting saber
circa 1800
Brass, ivory, steel
22. Europe
Saber
Late 18th century
Bronze, wood, leather, copper and steel wire
23. Italy
Squadron
Early 19th century
Bronze, steel, leather, brass wire
The cavalry squadron complete with elements deriving from Austrian models, is found among the weapons supplied to the troops active in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio Emilia in 1849.
24. Italy
Saber
Circa 1810
Steel, wood, leather, brass wire
25. Rome or Naples
Saber
Mid-19th century
Bronze, horn, steel
26. Greece
Scimitar with scabbard
First half of the 19th century
Brass, horn, wood, steel
The weapon is found in the context of the Greek war of independence against the Turks (1821-1830) and the coat of arms, the inscription praising unity and the dove that stands out on the scabbard refer to that context.
27. Balkans
Yatagan with scabbard
18th -19th century
Steel, silver, wood
The adoption by the Kingdom of two Sicilies during the Restoration of bladed weapons similar to the yatagan, originally from the Ottoman Empire, is confirmation of how weapons reflect encounters between cultures and peoples.
Armi in asta - From warfare to parades
Polearms. From warfare to parades
1. Italy
Officer’s half pike
Late 17th century
Steel
2. Northern Italy (Veneto ?)
Half pike with fire lance
First half of the 17th century
Steel, wood
Used by bomber sergeants to set fire to the artillery charge, this example is characterized by the unusual animal heads, perhaps of a dragon. The dotted decoration, on the other hand, is typical of the late 16th century and widespread especially in the Veneto area.
3. Northern Italy (Veneto ?)
Halberd
Late 16th century
Steel, silver, brass, wood
The halberd, a term deriving from the German helmbarte, “long-handled axe,” was the national weapon of the Swiss and German infantry before becoming a palace or ceremonial weapon, as still used today by the Swiss Guards of the pontiff.
4. Middle East (Iran ?)
Assegai (Zagaglia)
Late 18th – 19th century
Steel, wood, string
The term zagaglia derives from the Berber zagaja, which entered the Spanish language in the 13th century and then spread to the rest of Europe. The sample on display is characterized by a rich damascening, a type of decoration typical of Syria that arrived in Europe through Mediterranean trade and the Arab invasion of Spain.
5. Italy
Spetum
8th – 10th century
Steel, wood
A weapon associated with Odin, the Norse mythological divinity, this is the oldest weapon in the collection, characterized by two protrusions whose function is to stop the iron from penetrating the body of a man or an animal, which could possibly disarm the knight or hunter.
6. Northern Italy
Sergentina
Second half of the 17th century
Steel, wood, silk
A polearm similar to the halberd, it is thus named because it was carried by sergeants, infantry petty officers, in European armies from the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) until the French Revolution (1789).