Flint gunlock for a 12-pounder cannon on a wooden breech

Rijkswerf Vlissingen, Brignol (mentioned on object), c. 1801

Cannon were traditionally fired using a lighted fuse, a method that always entailed a certain delay. Replacing the fuse with a flintlock enabled the cannon to fire imme-diately. From 1810, the Dutch Navy introduced flintlock mechanisms on cannon, known as gunlocks. The wooden dummy (the breech) was intended to show the gunmaker the exact position of the flintlock.

  • Artwork typeflintlock
  • Object numberNG-MC-698
  • Dimensionsheight 22.3 cm x width 49 cm x depth 40.2 cm
  • Physical characteristicsmessing, ijzer, hout en touw