Rare Expanding Shot
Full Description:
An extremely rare item, believed to be an expanding shot, designed to be fired from a cannon. Entirely made of steel, comprising two spherical, cast iron balls, both of different weight and size, each joined via a swivel to five articulated, double-edged blades of flattened diamond sections, secured together by rivets on petalled washers.
It is likely that the shot would be loaded into the cannon in a compacted or folded state, and once fired, the different calibre balls (67mm and 58mm, or 2.63” and 2.28” respectively) would allow the shot to open up mid-flight creating a spinning blade, with the intention of inflicting horrific damage on the intended targets and causing panic and horror.
A similar one is published in the book Islamic And Oriental Arms And Armour by Robert Hales, 2013, p. 314, fig. 765.
Provenance
The Mark and Peter Dineley Collections