A HAPSBURG GUN There is a particular satisfaction in having in the Museum’s armory an object which belonged to the Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol (1529-I 595), one of the greatest collectors of all time. His gun (fig. I), a purchase shown this month in the Room of Recent Accessions, is a worthy addition to the impressive group of objects in the Department of Arms and Armor which is associated with the Imperial House of Hapsburg. It is not a military piece, but a weapon used entirely for sport. In the sixteenth century, when mercenaries had to furnish their own arms, military guns were crude, but the utmost care and skill were exercised to bring the sporting guns of princely houses to perfection. The gun has a lock- plate on which match- and wheellock mechanisms are combined (fig. 2). The matchlock persisted in use for more than two centuries