Belt pistols have a large hook attached to their side or screw plate. They could be easily hung from a belt, saddle or sash. One contemporary illustration shows several belt pistols being carried at once on a type of shoulder belt called a baldric (Spanish: Xarpa) (1) (2).

Patilla style miquelet locks have a large external main spring. The spring exerts an upward force on the hammer`s heel. Two horizontal sears pass through the lock plate in front of the hammer. The lower one is the half cock sear. It locks the hammer`s toe in a safe position for loading and carrying the weapon. The upper one is the full cock sear. It prevents the hammer from falling until the trigger is pulled. The earliest known examples of this style are Spanish and date from the late 16th century (3).

This pair of belt pistols have swamped barrels which are octagonal at the breech with silver inlays consisting of floral decorations. The barrels have gold touch holes and gold-lined makers marks (punzon) with two lines of text, "CE" over "RRA". The marks may belong to a member of the CIRERA family (4). Most of the gold lining on the marks has worn away. The waist sections have three small rings and one large ring before the barrels transition to round, with two rings at the muzzle. The barrels are pinned to full walnut stocks with raised relief around the tangs. Each pistol has two steel ramrod pipes and a steel ramrod. The barrels, lock-plates, side-plates and ramrod pipes are all surrounded by raised relief on the stocks. The stocks are of a style produced in Ripoll called Sabata (shoe). The steel escutcheons, cheek plates, butt plates and trigger guard have rococo decorations. All of this furniture was once blued with gold lining in the relief, but very little of the gold remains. The patilla locks have rococo decorations on their plates, hammers and spring bridles. The side-plates have rococo decorations and belt hooks. There are gold-lined makers marks on the front of each battery with two lines of text, "SER" over "RAT", little of the gold gold lining remains. The mark probably belongs to a member of the SERRAT family of Ripoll gun makers (5).