I wasn't sure if this topic was appropriate here but not long ago I saw something about a proposed handgonne or hand cannon contest-I hope it was on this board and not one of the others I visit.
Anyway I've been researching a particular bronze handgonne aka hackbut aka arquebus for years and finally made some progress lately. I put the findings in the form of an illustrated presentation which has yet to be delivered in person, but I'll link it here in case anyone is interested.
The one issue remaining to be resolved is what the large, engraved initials "J U R" mean. They were put on sometime after manufacture as they don't fit neatly in the design layout of the original decoration, and if the maker had wanted those initials on it he would have put them on the casting pattern and left more space for them. My best guess is that it is a proper name for the gun itself, naming it after its initial owner whose title by education was "Dr. Jur." In Germany and Austria that's the title for a Doctor of Laws.
But who knows, it could have some other meaning. The initials may look like "IVR" but trust me, Ive checked with many experts in various fields who know stuff from that era and region who all say the letters must be read as "J U R."
The powerpoint presentation ia about 14 Mb download.
http://springfieldarsenal.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/an-early-bronze-hackbutt-r7-1229112.ppt
