Vuursteenpistool c. 1770

This is a flintlock pistol crafted by Jacobus van Solingen, a formidable object designed to inspire both fear and admiration. The serpentine curves and decorative inlays tell tales of power, status and technological advancement. Consider the visual lineage of this weapon. Long before gunpowder, the scepter served as a symbol of authority. Now, the pistol emerges as a modern scepter, embodying a potent shift in power dynamics. Note the floral and foliate patterns etched into the butt. Such motifs—common in both weapon design and religious art—blur the lines between destruction and creation, life and death. The pistol’s grip and trigger are fashioned to fit the human hand, designed to inspire an almost subconscious urge to grasp and control. In the hands of a duelist, a soldier or a thief, the weapon promises a resolution to conflict, however violent. The flintlock pistol, like its ancient predecessors, is more than an object; it is an emblem of humanity’s complex relationship with power and our eternal dance with conflict.