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Art of Artillery

The Furies gun a highly decorated gun carriage with intricate carvings

In the Art of Artillery gallery you can see some of the most extraordinary guns in the Royal Armouries collection - guns designed for show as well as for shooting.

As well as weapons, guns were seen as status symbols and also as showpieces and given as gifts and trophies.

Highlights

a bronze cannon cast in the form of a dragons head
The Burmese bronze 'dragon' cannon

The Burmese bronze 'dragon' cannon, which dates from 1790, is cast in the form of a dragon. 

The Fort Nelson piece is one of a set of four, which was taken from the palace of King Thebaw at Mandalay in Burma after the British victory over the Burmese in 1885.

The 'Furies' gun, which dates from 1773, is a decorative bronze cannon with wooden carriage carved in the form of two furies grasping torches - also housed in the Art of Artillery gallery.

a mortar cast in bronze in the form of a sitting tiger

Also in the gallery is the Tiger Mortar. The sitting tiger bronze mortar was probably part of an arsenal intended for attacking the British, but the metal is not strong and the weapon remained unfinished. It was found in Karnal Fort in India in 1838.

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