Flintlock hunting gun c. 1665

This flintlock hunting gun was made by Edvardt Abrahams de Moor, and it’s a fascinating convergence of craft and technology. The gun is made of wood, steel, and brass. The barrel's smooth, cold steel tells a story of industrial processes, while the stock's carved wood hints at older traditions, of shaping material by hand. Note the elaborate, hand-worked inlays on the stock near the trigger, and at the butt, showing figures seemingly from mythology. This kind of decoration was no doubt intended to indicate the owner's status. The flintlock mechanism itself is an ingenious piece of engineering, demanding precision in its making. The hammer, frizzen, and pan had to fit together perfectly for the gun to fire reliably. Consider the labor invested in the gun – not only the gunsmith’s expertise, but also the miners who extracted the metal ores, the charcoal burners who fueled the forges, and the transporters who moved the materials. This gun represents a vast network of production, all geared towards the pursuit of game, or perhaps even war. It reminds us that even an object as seemingly simple as a gun can tell a complex story about technology, labor, and society.