Hybrid culverin with the emblems of Henri II Detail

This bronze culverin, dating back to the reign of Henri II (1547–1559), is eight-sided. This piece is decorated in a relatively sober manner. From the breech to the bearings, there are two arches leaning against one another, surrounding a crescent moon, a crowned H, a C, and a H, intertwined alongside a fleur-de-lis.
This ornamentation is typical of the symbolism of Henri II (1519–1559): the crescent moon is a distinctive heraldry feature of the Valois-Angoulême that Henri II, his father (François I) and his grandfather (Charles, Count of Angoulême, 1459–1496) were part of. The presence of the arches surrounding the crescent may also suggest a secondary interpretation and a connection with Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt, whose emblems are the crescent moon and the bow. The multi-layered interpretation of symbols was commonplace in the 16th century. The crowned H is, of course, the King's monogram. Next to this, there are the intertwined initials of the King and his wife, Catherine de Medici (1519–1589), as well as a fleur-de-lis, symbol of the monarchy. The origin of this culverin is unknown; it appears in the early inventories of the Musée de l'Artillerie from the 19th century, with no indication of where it came from.