# Rapier Combined with two Wheel-Lock Pistols

- By: German (Bladesmith: Hernandez Sebastian)
- Date: c. 1600
- Medium: Steel, iron, brass, gold, silver, gilding, and wood
- Classification: Arms
- Dimensions: H.: 111.8 cm (44 in.)
- Culture: Germany
- Credit line: George F. Harding Collection
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/106212)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/web/0b35b318e1c3b68157519f33ae46d593.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Combination weapons became a fascination in the late 16th century as nobles and wealthy merchants collected curiosities of the natural and man-made world. Though artful in their arrangement, these weapons seem impractical for self-defense. Owners would have displayed them in armories or cabinets of curiosities.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0