Workshop

By the 17th century, gun engraving designs were no longer being adapted from other trades, they were starting to be designed specifically for the firearm. In Part 3, we follow how French pattern books shaped the style of gun engraving across Europe, and how those designs began to show up from one workshop to the next.

Gun engraving didn’t start on guns. In Part 2, we follow how Renaissance pattern books influenced early firearm engraving, as scrollwork and classical designs made their way from paper onto steel.

Part 1 of a 5 part series exploring the history and evolution of engraving scrollwork on firearms. In this part we start in 16th Century Europe, and visualize the transition from engraving armor to engraving matchlock and flintlock pistols.