Antique Ming Dynasty Style Primitive Nine-Barreled Firearm

Item Details

An antique Ming Dynasty style primitive nine-barreled firearm. This antique piece is made in the style of the early versions of hand-portable and multi-barreled firearms developed during the Ming Dynasty of China (1368-1644). The wooden plug that once would have been the tip of a haft fits in a metal sleeve that widens into nine cylindrical barrels arranged in a square pattern; the fuses of nine loaded rockets could have been intertwined and lit simultaneously, allowing for a barrage of firework-like missiles through the bell-shaped mouth.

Condition

- tarnish, wear, and rust to metal overall; small hole rusted through in center; untested; presumably inoperable; the haft has been shortened.

Dimensions

Item #

18BOS055-106