Carbine with Flintlock alla Fiorentina 1635 - 1695

This is a Carbine with Flintlock alla Fiorentina, made by Carlo Bottarelli, likely in Italy, sometime between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Its essential elements are wood and steel. But look closer, and you’ll see how Bottarelli has transformed these materials. The wooden stock is inlaid with delicate tendrils of engraved silver; the steel lock, trigger guard, and butt plate are sculpted into elegant, organic forms. Consider the labor involved. The gun barrel would have been forged and rifled by a specialist. The lock mechanism, an intricate assembly of springs and levers, demanded precision engineering. And the carving and engraving, all done by hand, speaks to a highly refined decorative tradition. This object transcends the boundary between weaponry and art. It reflects the material culture and social hierarchies of its time, where even instruments of power could be objects of great beauty and status.