Breech-Loading Pistol
About 1690 (made)
Object Type
Like other firearms made by Dolep, this flintlock pistol has several ingenious mechanical features. They include an automatic priming magazine, a reloadable metal cartridge and a hinged, drop-down barrel. This barrel allows the pistol to be loaded very quickly. It is operated by pressing upward on the front of the trigger-guard.
People
Andrew Dolep is thought to have come originally from Germany. He is first recorded in July 1681, in the Minute Book of the London Gunmakers' Company, and he died in May 1713. Dolep worked near Charing Cross - probably in St Martin's Lane. Initially, he faced considerable opposition from the Gunmakers' Company as he preferred to employ foreign workmen, but he became reconciled with the Company in his later years. He was also employed by the Board of Ordnance, which controlled the manufacture of firearms and cannon in London.
Use
In general design Dolep's pistols are characteristically English, with the usual restrained chiselling and engraving. His firearms were expensive because of their mechanical complexity and his clients were wealthy. They included Charles II and William Legge, Ist Earl of Dartmouth, Master General of the Ordnance, as well as Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. This pistol was made for a member of a prominent Lancashire family, Brown of Blackburn. It would have been carried on a journey and used for self-defence.
Like other firearms made by Dolep, this flintlock pistol has several ingenious mechanical features. They include an automatic priming magazine, a reloadable metal cartridge and a hinged, drop-down barrel. This barrel allows the pistol to be loaded very quickly. It is operated by pressing upward on the front of the trigger-guard.
People
Andrew Dolep is thought to have come originally from Germany. He is first recorded in July 1681, in the Minute Book of the London Gunmakers' Company, and he died in May 1713. Dolep worked near Charing Cross - probably in St Martin's Lane. Initially, he faced considerable opposition from the Gunmakers' Company as he preferred to employ foreign workmen, but he became reconciled with the Company in his later years. He was also employed by the Board of Ordnance, which controlled the manufacture of firearms and cannon in London.
Use
In general design Dolep's pistols are characteristically English, with the usual restrained chiselling and engraving. His firearms were expensive because of their mechanical complexity and his clients were wealthy. They included Charles II and William Legge, Ist Earl of Dartmouth, Master General of the Ordnance, as well as Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. This pistol was made for a member of a prominent Lancashire family, Brown of Blackburn. It would have been carried on a journey and used for self-defence.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wood, silver and engraved steel |
| Brief description | Breech-loading pistol, London, ca. 1690, by Andrew Dolep |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
This pistol has an innovative mechanism that includes an automatic priming magazine, a reloadable metal cartridge and a hinged barrel that drops down to make reloading easier. Andrew Dolep produced such finely decorated firearms for royal and aristocratic patrons.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Transferred from Bristol Museums and Galleries |
| Object history | Made by in London, probably by Andrew Dolep (probably born in Germany, died at Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, 1713) This pistol was formerly on long term loan to the Museum from Bristol Museums and Galleries and was transferred to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2014. The pistol is by Andrew Dolep and was made in around 1690. Dolep is an important London maker (of German origin) known for his technical ingenuity. This is a breech-loader which was unusual at that date. |
| Summary | Object Type Like other firearms made by Dolep, this flintlock pistol has several ingenious mechanical features. They include an automatic priming magazine, a reloadable metal cartridge and a hinged, drop-down barrel. This barrel allows the pistol to be loaded very quickly. It is operated by pressing upward on the front of the trigger-guard. People Andrew Dolep is thought to have come originally from Germany. He is first recorded in July 1681, in the Minute Book of the London Gunmakers' Company, and he died in May 1713. Dolep worked near Charing Cross - probably in St Martin's Lane. Initially, he faced considerable opposition from the Gunmakers' Company as he preferred to employ foreign workmen, but he became reconciled with the Company in his later years. He was also employed by the Board of Ordnance, which controlled the manufacture of firearms and cannon in London. Use In general design Dolep's pistols are characteristically English, with the usual restrained chiselling and engraving. His firearms were expensive because of their mechanical complexity and his clients were wealthy. They included Charles II and William Legge, Ist Earl of Dartmouth, Master General of the Ordnance, as well as Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. This pistol was made for a member of a prominent Lancashire family, Brown of Blackburn. It would have been carried on a journey and used for self-defence. |
| Other number | LOAN:BRISTOL MUSEUM.1 - Previous loan number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.12-2014 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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