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Anali Zavoda za povijesne znanosti Hrvatske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti u Dubrovniku, No. 42, 2004.

Professional paper

A Ragusan Cannon Named Gušter (Lizard)

Đivo Bašić

Full text: croatian pdf 155 Kb

page 79-100

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Abstract

Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin (de Tollis, de Comite, de Conte), a renown caster of cannons and bells (born in Rab, c. 1475, died in Dubrovnik, 1540) worked in Dubrovnik from 1504, having officially become its citizen in 1509. The city commissioned him to cast ten cannons, none of which are in Dubrovnik today. Upon their arrival in 1806, the French registered 133 bronze cannons in the city of Dubrovnik. The established practice of cutting and recasting larger bronze and iron cannons was resumed by the Austrians. Some cannons are known to have been transported to Vienna, while a number of others remain missing. The Military Museum in Vienna houses two Ragusan cannons, one of which is the work of the bronzesmith Ivan Rabljanin. The bronze cannon cast by the craftsman in 1537 was named Gušter (Lizard) after a custom that cannons should bear the general or Ôpersonal’ names of animals or fantastic creatures. The transcription of G. M. Mattei testifies to the inscription. Some accounts and tradition have it that, during the Austrian action to remove the cannons from the Lovrijenac fort in 1814, ÔLizard’ fell into the sea. Recent attempts to locate the cannon and recover it have remained without serious result.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

11628

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/11628

Publication date:

23.5.2004.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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