A Museum-Quality Working Replica of a 16th-Century Wheellock Pistol-Axe by Walter Agnoletto.

A Museum-Quality Working Replica of a 16th-Century Wheellock Pistol-Axe by Walter Agnoletto. A museum-quality working replica of a mid-sixteenth-century combined wheel-lock pistol and battleaxe, masterfully crafted in the twentieth century by the renowned Italian armorer Walter Agnoletto. This impressive combination weapon seamlessly integrates a smoothbore steel pistol barrel into the hardwood haft of a ceremonial axe, featuring a distinctively shaped, pierced axe blade decorated with patterned cutouts. The lock mechanism is a faithfully executed external mainspring wheellock system, complete with a heavily chiseled wheel cover, a sliding pan cover, and a doghead clutching a piece of iron pyrites. The entire wooden stock and haft are lavishly adorned with intricate bone or staghorn inlays, executed in the classic German Renaissance style, depicting hunting scenes with hounds, stags, floral rosettes, a man mask at the butt, and a central figurative plaque showing a hunter in period costume. Melding historical metalworking precision with exquisite decorative scrimshaw techniques, this exceptional piece showcases a total length of approximately 59 cm. The item is in good condition.