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French
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 371
Cast for Henry II of France (r. 1547–1559), this is one of very few royal pieces of ordnance known to survive from the French Renaissance, and among them it is one of the largest and also most profusely decorated examples. Of a type known as a couleuvrine bâtarde (a bastard culverin), it is the third largest of the six calibers Henry prescribed in 1552 for French royal ordnance.
Beside the quality of execution and its remarkable state of preservation, the striking ornamentation of much of the gun's surface with royal emblems is distinctly French. Marking the apogee of a style that appears to have first emerged under Louis XII (r. 1498–1515), it includes cryptic emblems that were so typical of Renaissance court culture and very much favored in France. As Henry's reign ended in tragedy––the king was fatally wounded in a tournament––and France entered a long a difficult period of unrest and civil war, French royal ordnance would never be as glorious again until Louis XIV's reign (1643–1715).
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Artwork Details
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Title: Cannon (Bastard Culverin) Made for Henry II, King of France
Date: ca. 1550
Culture: French
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: L. 123.5 in. (313.7 cm); W. (at trunnions) 19 1/2 in. (49.53 cm); Diam. (at cascabel) 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm); Wt. 2,666 lb. (1209 kg)
Classification: Firearms-Cannon
Credit Line: Purchase, Ronald S. Lauder, Alejandro Santo Domingo, and Mr. and Mrs. Mark Fisch Gifts, 2018
Accession Number: 2018.756
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Museum Publications
Recent Acquisitions: A Selection, 2018–2020: Part I: Antiquity to the Late Eighteenth Century
Related Artworks
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- In the same gallery
- Arms and Armor
- Arms
- Artillery
- Bronze
- Cannons
- Copper alloy
- Firearms
- Metal
- From Europe
- From France
- From A.D. 1400–1600
Model of a Basilisk (Cannon) for Emperor Charles V (1500–1558)
Pietro d'Arena (Italian, Sicily, active ca. 1503–23)
1523
Shield of Henry II of France (reigned 1547–59)
ca. 1555
Burgonet with Falling Buffe
ca. 1550
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head
ca. 1475–80
Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59)
Part of the decoration design by Jean Cousin the Elder (French, Souci (?) ca. 1490–ca. 1560 Paris (?))
ca. 1555
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Arms and Armor at The Met
Collecting, preserving, researching, publishing, and exhibiting distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker.
