Woolwich Arsenal, about 1750: mould for making fuses (?)

(Updated, February 2018) This type of mould, bearing Government broad arrow marks, is shown being used in another drawing in this set, PAI0745. The Royal Laboratory at Woolwich was constructed in 1696 for the purpose of manufacturing munitions and became the centre of a larger complex that was formally renamed the Royal Arsenal in 1805. This drawing is one of 11 which the numbers are non-sequential owing to the different boxes in which they are stored (by mount size): PAG9664, PAH4071-72, PAI0744-46, PAI7701-03, PAJ2303 and PAJ2312. Four were reproduced as a double-page spread in the 'Illustrated London News' of 1 January 1916, pp. 14-15, as having recently appeared at auction by Messrs Hodgsons' and been bought by the ILN for that purpose. This makes it likely that they were later given to the NMM by Sir Bruce Ingram, managing proprietor and editor of the ILN and an early supporter of the Museum. They have been attributed to Gamaliel Massiot, an obscure artist of probably Huguenot French ancestry who was drawing master at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich from 1744 to 1768, after which he continued in a secondary position under Paul Sandby to shortly before his death early in 1782 (see further notes to PAI0746).

Object Details

ID: PAH4071
Type: Drawing
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Unknown; British School, 18th century Massiot, Gamaliel
Places: Unlinked place
Date made: ca.1750
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Mount: 21 7/8 in x 15 in