It's a small world in cannon studies; not only did I see Gianni last week, but Guy Wilson and I spent a week down at Woolwich last month, working on the model collection.
Just a quick reply before we go away for the holiday.
Your small piece is quite unusual. A dragon at the muzzle of a gun appears on several guns across Europe. For example Stuerghewalt in Hertogenbosch in Holland, dated 1511; Master Jorg’s ‘basilisk’ in Basel (in bronze) and dated 1514; a small piece in the collection of the Royal Armouries, (again in bronze, inventory number XIX.69), dated 1570. There are more.
The fish tail is unique (I think) though an extension (tiller) at the rear of a barrel is common.
What I find curious though is the very pronounced dragons head and the crispness, sharpness, of its edges. In the examples noted above, and others, the head is more within the barrel of the gun and more rounded overall. So too the tail which is very sharp in detail. If it is genuine and from Western Europe or least has a good provenance I would date it to the 16th century. I do have some reservations though. It may be a later copy or it may possibly be oriental in origin. There was certainly a tradition of using dragons heads in the east which goes on for far longer than in the west. Without seeing it in the ‘flesh’ though it is very hard to judge. But it is a curious piece (and very intriguing). When something is a 'one-off' it is always difficult to judge; you need a second to come out of the woodwork.
Stuerghewalt is published in: J P Puype, 2007, ‘The basilisk Stuerghewalt of 1511 in Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands’. In R D Smith (ed) ICOMAM 50. papers on arms and military history 1957-2007. Leeds, Basiliscoe Press. Pages
The Armouries piece is in: H L Blackmore, 1976 The Armoures of the Tower of London. I Ordnance. London, HMSO. Page 133-4.
Merry Christmas, one and all
Bob Smith