Design for Tools Relating to the Maintenance of Fire Arms
1580–1620
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush with brown and gray wash; framing line in pen and brown ink; maximum sheet comprised of three fragments, possibly cut by the hand that drew the designs.
Dimensions
5 3/16 x 7 9/16 in. (13.2 x 19.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.50.441
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, titled *Design for Tools to the Maintenance of Fire Arms*,ails from anonymous Italian hands in the late 16 to early 17th (1580–1620). Crafted on a modest sheet of just 5 3/16 x 7 9/16 inches, it features precise studies of specialized tools—likely cleaning rods, scrapers, and gauges—for servicing early firearms. The sheet's intriguing composition, pieced from three fragments possibly cut by the artist himself, hints at a working process where practicality trumped perfection, allowing for flexible arrangement of designs. Executed in pen and brown ink with subtle brush-ap...