Islamic bow for I.D. and comment

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Gonzalo G

Estcrh, thank you for sharing this image and the photo of your bow. It is nice to see that kind of weapons. I wonder if your bow can be still used. Though I understand that special care must be given to the limbs if you try to put a string over an old bow. A risky procedure.
Do you have an idea of the age of your bow?
Regards

Gonzalo, I have wondered about that myself, but I would not take the risk of cracking it. It is a Chinese composite bow, early 19th century, 36 inches long, 16 inches wide.

[Gonzalo G]

Thank you for your response and the measures. Yes, it´s better to stay on the safe side and don't force those old limbs. It is a valuable and beautiful piece.
Regards

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Gonzalo G

Thank you for your response and the measures. Yes, it´s better to stay on the safe side and don't force those old limbs. It is a valuable and beautiful piece.
Regards

Wise advice, Gonzalo. Stringing a composite bow calls for its own techniques. Do you have Paul E Klopsteg's TURKISH ARCHERY AND THE COMPOSITE BOW (Manchester University, Museum: 1934 repr 1987)? Practically everything you wanted to know about design, manufacture, history, performance, and shooting techniques involving Ottoman bows, with comparative notes in an appendix with mention of Chinese, Korean, and modern (as of the 1930s) longbows. A lot of the material is excerpted from old Turkish manuals and the notes are mostly by archers who traveled and observed.

The info includes detailed instructions on stringing, and the appendix notes also explain how ambient temperature must be taken into account in order to do it safely with "difficult" bows.

[estcrh]

Thanks to Philip, Peter and a few other individuals, in the last few years a lot of information on Chinese archery and Chinese weapons in general has become available to learn from, both as images and text.

Something not often seen is good closeup images of Chinese arrows, here is an example of a Chinese bow with arrows.

Composite Chinese Bow and Arrows

A nice find: A complete 19C. Chinese bow with 10 arrows. The bow is of the composite structure, 43 inches long, 21 inches wide. The edges as well as the edges are covered with ray skin, dyed in green and white, and inlaid with antelope and bird also cut from ray skin. The arrows are long, 35 inches each with steel blades and long feathered tails.

[estcrh]

Chinese "Manchu" arrows, from http://www.manchuarchery.org/arrows

[Gonzalo G]

Originally Posted by estcrh

A nice find: A complete 19C. Chinese bow with 10 arrows. The bow is of the composite structure, 43 inches long, 21 inches wide. The edges as well as the edges are covered with ray skin, dyed in green and white, and inlaid with antelope and bird also cut from ray skin. The arrows are long, 35 inches each with steel blades and long feathered tails.

Thank you for those pictures and the link, Estcrh. Great bow! seems also Manchu style, and is complete, with the "bridges" to guide the string, The collection of arrows is very interesting.

Pity that Philip is on the other side of the border, for if he would be instead on Texas, I could cross the border to talk with him.

Regards

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Gonzalo G

I appreciate very much all the advice and guidance I can get from the people whom I share this kind of inclinations for the historic weapons. Unfortunately, where I live I don't have the oppotunity to access many items and that imposes me several limitations.

Originally Posted by Gonzalo G

Pity that Philip is on the other side of the border, for if he would be instead on Texas, I could cross the border to talk with him.

Gonzalo, I agree with you completely on both counts, in fact the reason I started collecting in the first place was that there was so I could hold and see these types of weapons up close since there seemed to be no other way to do this, unfortunately museums are very limited in the way of hands on teaching, thankfully the internet has helped fill in many blank spots as far as knowledge of historical weapons and armor goes.

Philip Tom, Peter Dekker and many other interested people have helped add a whole new level to the amount of easily findable information on Chinese weapons, I can remember when there was virtually no images or information available.

Anyone interested in the subject of Chinese archery should check out these links.

http://www.manchuarchery.org/articles-manchu-archery

http://www.mandarinmansion.com/welcome

http://www.atarn.net/phpBB2/index.php

https://anthromuseum.missouri.edu/gr...aarchery.shtml

[estcrh]

Chinese bow case and quiver from http://www.manchuarchery.org/qing-bow-cases-quivers

A set of bow case, quiver and belt in the Charles E. Grayson collection. This type of bow case and quiver would have been worn by the imperial guard of the late 19th century. The bow case is suspended from a fittings that can slide over the belt. Also note the extra straps on the back to counterbalance the quiver. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Stephanoff.


Manchu officer Badai and his quiver. The quiver represents the standard quiver model in use in the mid 18th century, the height of the Qing's military power. Note the three slits in the front and the three pockets on the back that were common for this era. Painting held in the Asian Art Museum of Berlin. Badai was honored for breaking enemy lines single handedly. According to the poem accompanying the scroll, he fell from his horse, hastily dressed his wounds and continued shooting: "Many were felled as he snapped the string of his bow".

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Gonzalo G

Pity that Philip is on the other side of the border, for if he would be instead on Texas, I could cross the border to talk with him.

Regards

California is also right next to the Mexican border. Even if we secede from the Union as some wild-eyed dreamers are talking about, we will still be right next to your country. Just come quick before the wall gets too high :-)

Although if you REALLY want to know all about Manchu archery, it would be wise to make a trip to meet Peter Dekker (and perhaps do some shooting) in Amsterdam. I am overdue for a return visit, myself! But I see that you are familiar with his informative websites on the subject, so that's good.

[Gonzalo G]

Originally Posted by Philip

California is also right next to the Mexican border. Even if we secede from the Union as some wild-eyed dreamers are talking about, we will still be right next to your country. Just come quick before the wall gets too high :-)

Although if you REALLY want to know all about Manchu archery, it would be wise to make a trip to meet Peter Dekker (and perhaps do some shooting) in Amsterdam. I am overdue for a return visit, myself! But I see that you are familiar with his informative websites on the subject, so that's good.

Yes, but I am at the opposite side, bordering east Texas. Very far. As for the Great Wall, don´t worry. We are already organizing teams for the national contest to see who goes up-under-around the Great Wall faster. The China lesson....

Sadly, I can't go even to the next town, less Amsterdam. Snif...

[Gonzalo G]

Originally Posted by Philip

Do you have Paul E Klopsteg's TURKISH ARCHERY AND THE COMPOSITE BOW (Manchester University, Museum: 1934 repr 1987)? Practically everything you wanted to know about design, manufacture, history, performance, and shooting techniques involving Ottoman bows, with comparative notes in an appendix with mention of Chinese, Korean, and modern (as of the 1930s) longbows. A lot of the material is excerpted from old Turkish manuals and the notes are mostly by archers who traveled and observed.

The info includes detailed instructions on stringing, and the appendix notes also explain how ambient temperature must be taken into account in order to do it safely with "difficult" bows.

No, Philip. I didn't have it and I have nor read it. Thanks to you, I just get one copy. And I would appreciate more recommendations from you on the matter of historic archery, how to make and use historic bows and related subjects. Thank you. I appreciate very much all the advice and guidance I can get from the people whom I share this kind of inclinations for the historic weapons. Unfortunately, where I live I don't have the oppotunity to access many items and that imposes me several limitations.

My best regards