Combination Spanner-Primer Flask-Screwdriver with the Coat of Arms of the Haller von Hallerstein and Nüzel von Sunderspuhl Families
c. 1600
South German, Nuremberg
Nuremberg
A wheellock mechanism could not be used without a spanner, or winding key. Often this essential tool was combined with others to make loading a long gun or pistol more convenient. Here, the handle doubles as a powder flask, with a nozzle on top to prime the pan of the lock with fine powder; at the base is a screwdriver to take the gun apart for cleaning.
Brass, gilded and engraved; iron; steel; and mother-of-pearl