Barrel of the Pishchal of Prince Ivan Katyrev-Rostovsky, 1614

This forged steel barrel comes from a pishchal, the Russian name for early aimed firearms, both hand-held guns and artillery pieces. The barrel is dated 1614 and is associated with Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Katyrev-Rostovsky, a participant in the events of the Time of Troubles.

The prince had already served under Boris Godunov, and in 1606 he attended the wedding of False Dmitry I and Marina Mniszech. In 1608, while fighting for Tsar Vasily Shuisky against False Dmitry II, he fell under suspicion of treason and was exiled to Tobolsk, where he later became the chief voivode. His first wife was Tatiana Fyodorovna Romanova, sister of the future Tsar Michael Fyodorovich. In 1614, the year to which the barrel is dated, Katyrev-Rostovsky was the first voivode of the Great Regiment in Tula.

The prince is credited with the “Chronicle Book”, one of the most coherent narratives of the Time of Troubles, covering events from the reign of Ivan the Terrible to the election of Michael Romanov. Scholars, however, allow that it may have been written by another author, with Katyrev-Rostovsky only editing the text and adding passages of his own. The barrel is 125.5 cm long overall, with a calibre of 15 mm; the catalogue gives its place of manufacture as Russia, the Middle East and Turkey.