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Plate 002 · Bombard · Renaissance
Tsar Cannon
"Царь-пушка"
The largest bombard by caliber ever cast — a colossal bronze monument in the Moscow Kremlin.
Historical Record
Provenance & Service
Cast in bronze in 1586 by Andrey Chokhov for Tsar Fyodor I, the Tsar Cannon was intended to defend the Moscow Kremlin. Despite its enormous 890 mm bore, it was likely never fired in combat. The decorative carriage and iron cannonballs displayed beside it today were added in the 19th century and are purely ceremonial.