Late Gothic Crossbows and Accouterments

Matchlock · 23rd March 2014, 01:32 PM

Hi,

Just a short aside from the Romanian crossbows.
I've got images of one of the greatest rarities ever: a whistling crossbow bolt! (German: Heulbolzen). The air in those holes made it whistle and howl as it went, producing a psychologically dramatic effect on the side of the opponents.
This is the only one I have ever seen in 40 years, museums, auctions - all.

Best,
Michael

Matchlock · 23rd March 2014, 04:59 PM

As it seemingly is nearly impossible to find a genuinely Gothic bow and arrows of Northwestern European provenance - even the museum in Sibiu cannot produce one single item - , I decided to post this Mongolian set of 13th/14th century date, the period of Genghis Khan.
http://www.genghiskhanexhibits.com/genius/artifacts.htm

m

Matchlock · 23rd March 2014, 09:12 PM

A good and nicely patinated cranequin, Nuremberg, ca. 1550/60; the belt hook missing.
The brass-inlaid maker's mark on the gear case, a mill wheel, is known from similar cranequins. There are records in Dudley S. Hawtrey Gyngell's book Armourers Marks that the mark can be attributed to a Nuremberg smith with the initials D.M.; the m doubtlessly stands for Müller (miller).

m

23rd March 2014, 01:32 PM	#1
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Hi, Just a short aside from the Romanian crossbows. I've got images of one of the greatest rarities ever: a whistling crossbow bolt! (German: Heulbolzen). The air in those holes made it whistle and howl as it went, producing a psychologically dramatic effect on the side of the opponents. This is the only one I have ever seen in 40 years, museums, auctions - all. Best, Michael Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 23rd March 2014 at 02:17 PM.

23rd March 2014, 04:59 PM	#2
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	As it seemingly is nearly impossible to find a genuinely Gothic bow and arrows of Northwestern European provenance - even the museum in Sibiu cannot produce one single item - , I decided to post this Mongolian set of 13th/14th century date, the period of Genghis Khan. http://www.genghiskhanexhibits.com/genius/artifacts.htm m Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 23rd March 2014 at 05:16 PM.

23rd March 2014, 09:12 PM	#3
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	A good and nicely patinated cranequin, Nuremberg, ca. 1550/60; the belt hook missing. The brass-inlaid maker's mark on the gear case, a mill wheel, is known from similar cranequins. There are records in Dudley S. Hawtrey Gyngell's book Armourers Marks that the mark can be attributed to a Nuremberg smith with the initials D.M.; the m doubtlessly stands for Müller (miller). m Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 23rd March 2014 at 10:02 PM.