Author Topic: Seven photos of M/L ordnance at an Austrian museum  (Read 576 times)

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Offline Cannoneer

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Seven photos of M/L ordnance at an Austrian museum
« on: December 21, 2009, 09:19:39 AM »
There are some interesting pieces here, I particularly like the cascabel/handle image of Neptune, or a merman of some kind on the cannon shown in the forefront of the first photo.

Heeresgeschichtliches
RIP John. While on vacation July 4th 2013 in northern Wisconsin, he was ATVing with family and pulled ahead of everyone and took off at break-neck speed without a helmet. He lost control.....hit a tree....and the tree won.  He died instantly.

The one thing that you can almost always rely on research leading to, is more research.

Offline Max Caliber

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Re: Five photos of M/L ordnance at an Austrian museum
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2009, 09:58:35 AM »
Appears to be riding a sea monster here.

Max

Offline Bob Smith

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Re: Five photos of M/L ordnance at an Austrian museum
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2009, 10:41:58 AM »
It's by Martin (or Marten) Hilger (or Hilgifer) of Freiburg (or Graz). The Vienna gun is dated 1579. He used the same figure in the breech in a number of other guns.

Bob Smith

Offline cannonmn

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Re: Five photos of M/L ordnance at an Austrian museum
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2009, 10:55:22 AM »
Nice photos, thanks for posting.  There are some photos from there and many others, as well as lots of prints and drawings in the big heavy coffee table book called simply GUNS, that can usually be picked up quite cheaply since "normal" folks aren't much interested in that stuff, just us cannon nuts.

Offline Cannoneer

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Re: Five photos of M/L ordnance at an Austrian museum
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2009, 02:18:53 AM »
Thanks for the information, Bob, and Cannonmn. Max, now that you mention it, I can see that you are definitely right, the figure is riding on the back of some type of sea serpent. When I first saw the photo, I didn't save and enlarge the pic because it was already pretty clear, but I kept trying to figure out why Poseidon was holding a bouquet of flowers on his belly; what did this symbolism mean? Well, now I know that that isn't a bunch of flowers, it's the sea creatures head.
RIP John. While on vacation July 4th 2013 in northern Wisconsin, he was ATVing with family and pulled ahead of everyone and took off at break-neck speed without a helmet. He lost control.....hit a tree....and the tree won.  He died instantly.

The one thing that you can almost always rely on research leading to, is more research.

Offline Max Caliber

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Re: Five photos of M/L ordnance at an Austrian museum
« Reply #5 on: December 22, 2009, 02:56:18 AM »
One would think that the figure should be facing to the front like dolphins do.  Sort of looks like old Poseidon is getting out of Dodge.
Max

Offline Cannoneer

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Re: Seven photos of M/L ordnance at an Austrian museum
« Reply #6 on: December 23, 2009, 08:54:21 AM »
Here are a few more examples of historic artillery pieces at this museum.

This 15th century wrought iron bombard is known as "Pumhart von Steyr."




"The famous "mortar of Belgrade". Allegedly, a shot from this cannon ignited the Turkish ammunition stores -- killing thousands."
This mortar was used by the Christian forces in the siege, and eventual defeat of the Turkish army occupying Belgrade in 1717. It is supposedly the piece responsible for firing a shell that ignited the Ottoman black powder storehouse. The Turk's recaptured the city at a later date.






Some bronze barrels on display along an outside wall.




An interesting bronze breech loading howitzer.







RIP John. While on vacation July 4th 2013 in northern Wisconsin, he was ATVing with family and pulled ahead of everyone and took off at break-neck speed without a helmet. He lost control.....hit a tree....and the tree won.  He died instantly.

The one thing that you can almost always rely on research leading to, is more research.