Malay Matchlock Gun (Istinggar)

Also known as the satingar or padri in Dutch sources, the istinggar is a long gun with matchlock mechanism. The word ‘istinggar’ may derive from the Portuguese espingarda [‘shotgun’].1 The buttstock is short with a lobed heel, reminiscent of Japanese matchlock weapons. It has a long, heavy barrel which would have to be supported by a rest when used. They do not have a ramrod, rather, the butts were stomped on the ground after firing.2

An istinggar in the Royal Armouries, Leeds (no. XXVIF.163), is dated to 18th century, Malaysia. Another similar example is in the Muzium Warisan Melayu (Malay Heritage Museum) in Selangor, and attributed to the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra.

A gold-mounted Malayan matchlock gun, ca. 1700, is in the Tareq Rajab Museum, Kuwait.3 Another in the Westenenk Collection was published by J. E. Jasper in 1930.4

Several examples are held in collections in the Netherlands, likely collected during Dutch intervention during the Minangkabau War in the early 19th century, including the Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (nos. TM-886-52, WM-19311) and the Museon Omniversum (nos. 7040, 7868).

[1] Blackmore, Howard L. Guns and Rifles of the World. New York: Viking Press, 1965, p. 16. 
[2] Gardner, G. B. Keris and Other Malay Weapons. Singapore: Progressive Publishing Company, 1936, pp. 97–99.
[3] Elgood, Robert. Firearms of the Islamic World. London: I.B. Tauris, 1995, pp. 188–189, cat. 129.
[4] Jasper, J. E. Inlandsche Kunstnijverheid In Nederlands Indië, vol. 5. The Hague: Mouton & Co., 1930.