Primer
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Brass
Dimensions
L. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm); D. 1 in. (2.5 cm); Wt. 7.5 oz. (212.6 g)
Classification
Firearms Accessories-Flasks & Primers
Culture
Indian, Rajasthan
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
Accession Number
36.25.2375
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 18th-century Rajasthan with this exquisite brass primer, a vital accessory for muzzle-loading firearms. Crafted by an unknown Indian artisan, this slender tube measures 10½ inches long and just 1 inch in diameter, weighing a mere 7.5 ounces. Designed to hold fine priming powder—the spark that ignited gunpowder charges—it exemplifies the precision engineering required for matchlock and flintlock weapons prevalent in Rajput warfare. In Rajasthan, a region famed for its warrior clans and opulent metalworking traditions, such primers were essential tools of the battlefield ...