European Aristocrat's Leather Cartridge Belt.

[goldfever79]

New member here, I collect all different sorts of antiques and regularly come across fine old leather items in need of restoration and/or preservation.  Hoping to learn a lot more and also share when I come across a unique item or fun restoration project.

Here is my current preservation project, a very fine European Aristocrat Huntsman's tooled leather cartridge belt (for paper cartridges) with game hangers and side pouches.  Circa 1600-1850, I should be able to narrow down the date and a more exact location of production after further research.  This is a pretty unique piece, I've never seen this quality leather work on a cartridge belt from this era.  I've seen tooled leather paper cartridge boxes dating all the way back into the 1500s but never anything quite like this.  All I'm going to do with this particular treasure is preserve it as is using Pecard Antique Leather Dressing, it doesn't need any repair work.

I'll update with additional pictures after completing the antique leather treatment process.  Feel free to add any comments.

[goldfever79]

A few more pictures...

[Arturomex]

That's very cool.

I found some of the information in the National Park Service "Consvervogram" Number 9/1 from July, 1993 most interesting.

Regards,

Arturo 

Convservogram.pdf

[goldfever79]

15 minutes ago, Arturomex said:

That's very cool.

I found some of the information in the National Park Service "Consvervogram" Number 9/1 from July, 1993 most interesting.

Regards,

Arturo 

Convservogram.pdf

Thanks for sharing, very interesting, lot's of great information!  After reading that research on typical preservation treatments I will definitely reconsider putting Pecard's on this.  Proper and steady temperature and humidity + no direct sunlight/uv light might be all a piece like this needs.

[jimi]

Thanks very much for sharing goldfever79, that is not something we see every day.

[Alaisiagae]

That's really cool, it's too bad the specific history behind it (who made it, owned it) is lost. Thank you for sharing!

Also, it is so detailed, each shot case is tooled uniquely.

Edited August 2, 2020 by Alaisiagae

[Arturomex]

I'm curious about the construction of the cartridge cases. Are they open at the bottom?

[chrisash]

I have no logic for this but would think either Austrian or Swiss, just a gut feeling also post 1850

[Spyros]

Jesus, thats A LOT of work

On the flaps that cover the cartridge cases, that second darker layer under the burgundy top leather, what is that?  Some sort of fabric?

 

[goldfever79]

6 hours ago, Arturomex said:

I'm curious about the construction of the cartridge cases. Are they open at the bottom?

They are completely closed at the bottom.  Unlike modern metallic cartridges the old paper cartridges for muzzleloaders had to be kept dry and stored much more carefully.  In modern cartridge belts you just make the loop a little smaller than cartridge you are sliding into it, this concept wouldn't of worked with paper cartridges which were commonly just newspaper twisted around a pre-measured amount of power with a projectile on top then coated in tallow or beeswax.

[goldfever79]

38 minutes ago, Spyros said:

Jesus, thats A LOT of work

On the flaps that cover the cartridge cases, that second darker layer under the burgundy top leather, what is that?  Some sort of fabric?

 

It's a layer of black leather with gold thread stitching patterns.  The only fabric on this piece is the red fabric sewn underneath the flaps that cover the cartridge cases. I'll pull it out and get some better close-ups posted when I have the time here in the next few days.

[Spyros]

Thanks mate

Look at the tooling and the stitching detail with the thinner thread... true artisan. 

[msarANG]

Thanks for sharing! Amazing stuff!

[Rahere]

It's a derivative of an "apostle" belt, common in 17th century musketeers. 13 at the last supper.

To be precise, the musketeers bandoleer carrier the charges in separate pots hung from a belt, but later they were brought together

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/505106914427939666/

Edited August 23, 2020 by Rahere