---
title: 17th-Century Flintlock Mechanism
author: Metropolitan Museum of Art
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15131/17th-century-flintlock-mechanism/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 1970-01-01
---

# 17th-Century Flintlock Mechanism

_Authored by Metropolitan Museum of Art_

## Image File

[![17th-Century Flintlock Mechanism](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/15131.png)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/15131.png)

## Image Caption

An example of a 17th-century flintlock firearm mechanism. A piece of flint was held in the vice which the trigger pulled down to strike a [metal](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/metal/) bar which created a spark to ignite the priming powder which then set off the main charge of gunpowder and fired the bullet. From a c. 1650 pistol made by Claude Cunet of Lyon. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

## Cite This Work

### APA
Art, M. M. o. (2022, January 14). 17th-Century Flintlock Mechanism. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15131/17th-century-flintlock-mechanism/>
### Chicago
Art, Metropolitan Museum of. "17th-Century Flintlock Mechanism." *World History Encyclopedia*, January 14, 2022. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15131/17th-century-flintlock-mechanism/>.
### MLA
Art, Metropolitan Museum of. "17th-Century Flintlock Mechanism." *World History Encyclopedia*, 14 Jan 2022, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15131/17th-century-flintlock-mechanism/>.

## License & Copyright

© [Metropolitan Museum of Art](http://metmuseum.org/), NY. As part of the [Met's Open Access policy](https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/policies-and-documents/open-access), the Metropolitan Museum of Art has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this dataset. [Original image](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/789050?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ao=on&ft=flintlock&offset=60&rpp=20&pos=66) by [**Metropolitan Museum of Art**](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/789050?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ao=on&ft=flintlock&offset=60&rpp=20&pos=66). Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 14 January 2022. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Copyright](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright). You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.