Late Gothic Crossbows and Accouterments

[Matchlock]

Please note the excellent and complete overall condition, the way that the numeral 7 is struck within Gothic trefoil ornament, the punched decoration which is stylistically characteristic of the period around 1540, the brass- or gold-inlaid maker's mark, an arrow and two pellets, and the leather covered cord loop.
It was hammered down at 6,500 Swiss Francs at Fischer, Lucerne, in September 2010.

This Nuremberg workshop arrow mark is also found on the barrels of matchlock Landsknecht arquebuses preserved in the Bayerisches Armeemuseum Ingolstadt, together with the same date 1537; this group of arquebuses was restocked in 1619 (two images attached).

Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

From top to bottom:

- Spain or Portugal, Romanic, 12th. c.

- Line drawing of an early Gothic German crossbow, 13th c., by Egon Harmuth

- Another, of a Late Gothic German crossbow, 15th c., and of a Renaissance type of 1the 16th c., by the same author

- ca. 1230, from the Maciejowski (or Morgan) Bible, 4 scans

- ca. 1326/7, from the famous de Milemete or Christ Church ms, Oxford

- ca. 1350-55, illustrations of a crossbow and a quiver, Haguenau, France

- ca. 1230, a very rare illustration of a trap war crossbow, by Villard de Honnecourt, ms. fr. 19093, Bibliothèque Nationale Paris

For more on trap crossbows please see

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15016



More to come.

m

[Matchlock]

On the cycle of illustrations goes ...

- a very early South Italian illustration of 1196, from the cod. 120, Burgerbibliothek Berne/Switzerland (two scans)

- ca. 1225 (left) and ca. 1300 (right)

- a stone relief from the 12th century

- crossbows from various miniatures in the Luttrell Psalter, ca. 1330, British Library (5 scans)

- English bows vs. crossbows, ca. 1255, from the Historia Anglorum, by Matthew Paris.


To be continued.

[Matchlock]

- A humble self portrait of Matthew Paris in his Historia Anglorum, ca. 1255 (see three last scans in my previous post)http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/images/icons/icon7.gif

- Crossbows and their early accouterments, spanning belt and quiver, from the Flanders (Bruges?) manuscript The Romance of Alexander, ca. 1340 (5 scans)

- Crossbows, 1308-13 (perhaps can some member please translate the Cyrillic script? )

- 14th c. Belgian crossbows from one of the many versions of the tale on Lancelot du Lac, Province of Hainaut

- ca. 1400

- 14th century

- spanning a High Gothic (ca. 1340) so-called one-foot crossbow both kneeling and standing up, the illustration on the right from the Luttrell ms., cf. my post above


Best,
Michael

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

From top to bottom:
- Spain or Portugal, Romanic, 12th. c.

As per my post #6 .

[Matchlock]

Oh 'Nando,

Now I remember where I stole it from!

Best,
Michl

[Matchlock]

m

[Matchlock]

This crossbow, ca. 1470, was sold at Fischer, Lucerne, 25 November 1964, and then again in 2011 from the Klingbeil collection.

The spanning belt is a reconstruction.

Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

The spanning belt replica; in order to get an actually working construction, the leather belt would have to be much more robust than this, built of various intertwined layers.

m