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Old 12th November 2008, 03:41 PM   #1
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Default Late Gothic Crossbows and Accouterments

The first two from Peter Finer's site.

More to follow.

Michael
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Old 12th November 2008, 04:09 PM   #2
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Default A highly unusual late Gothic windlass (the rolls missing), ca. 1520

The first text is from Christie's sales catalog of 27 April 1988 when this item was first sold by auction.
The second text and color images are from an Italian auction house where it failed to sell for the astronomic estimate they had put on it some weeks ago. Btw., their dating "late 15th century" is too early; the style of the engravings is not datable before ca. 1520.

Michael
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Old 12th November 2008, 04:41 PM   #3
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Default Two huge wall crossbows, mid 15th century

The first, about 170 cm high, together with a movable protective wall (that was most probably used by a harquebusier, though) , in the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg, the seond in the Bavarian Army Museum Ingolstadt and of somehat smaller dimensions.
The quiver, too, is of unusual size.

Telling from the long, slender iron socket and the tiny arrow tip, the topmost of the two Ingolstadt crossbow bolts was originally an incendiary arrow, the incendiary mass now missing.

The painted protective wall is also in the Bavarian Army Museum Ingolstadt.

Michael
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Old 12th November 2008, 05:22 PM   #4
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The other quiver in the Bayerisches Armeemuseum Ingolstadt. Its style of decoration refllects the Eastern European taste.

Michael
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Old 24th November 2008, 08:07 PM   #5
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Default A fine late 15th century Gothic crossbow

At the Kelvingrove Museum Glasgow.

Michael
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Old 24th November 2008, 08:22 PM   #6
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Default Late Gothic crossbows at the Army Museum Bukarest/Romania

Note the painted composite bow.

Michael
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Old 24th November 2008, 08:26 PM   #7
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More.
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Old 24th November 2008, 08:35 PM   #8
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Found these on the internet, possibly taken at the Hungarian National Museum Budapest.

Michael
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Old 24th November 2008, 08:42 PM   #9
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Default More than 25,000 Gothic crossbow bolts

... preserved in the City Museum of Soest, Germany!

Michael
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Old 24th November 2008, 08:50 PM   #10
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One more of the display at the Soest Ostenhof-Museum.

Michael
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Old 27th November 2008, 02:38 PM   #11
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Default Crossbows at the Real Armeria Madrid

The left one late 15th century, with a horn composite bow.

Michael
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Old 27th November 2008, 05:15 PM   #12
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Default A stunning Gothic crossbow, ca. 1450-70, at the Wallace Collection, London

The wooden tiller completely covered by carved and part colored ivory plaques. The arms are those of Fels-Colonna, The Tyrol.
Note the mark on the tiller trigger.

Michael
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Old 1st December 2008, 12:12 PM   #13
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Default An early 16th century quiver

At the Museum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck/The Tyrol.

Michael
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Old 1st December 2008, 01:15 PM   #14
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Finally here is the image of the smith's mark on the tiller trigger.

Michael
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Old 7th December 2008, 01:42 PM   #15
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Default A unique casket for crossbow bolts, ca. 1420, bearing the later date 1524

Sold at auction two years ago, bearing an old inventory label from the famos Vienna Collection of Albert Figdor, early 20th century.

Of beechwood. Both the obsolete 14th century form of the crossbow illustrated on the lid and that of the tinned iron mounts denote that the casket was actually made at least some 100 years earlier than the date 1524 suggests. Furthermore, close inspection proves that all the painting is at the same level, only the date 1524 - showing the Gothic form the numeral 4 - consists of a much thicker layer than the rest.

So this fine object should be referred to as a casket for special crossbow bolts (not the common quarrels), and made in the early 15th century, probably as a prize for the best aiming crossbowman and containing the bolts that he won the title with. It seems to have been dated 1524 some 100 years later - or may be exactly 100 years later, possibly in remembrance of the founding of a crossbowmen's guild.

Michael
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Old 7th December 2008, 01:53 PM   #16
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Default Probably the earliest Gothic crossbow in existence, ca. 1350

Preserved at the City museum of Cologne, Germany.

In the first picture, the bow is of course inversed; this had been corrected by the time the second picture was taken.

The open curve of the composite bow is due to not having had a string attached for hundreds of years.

The detached bow of a huge wall crossbow also at the Cologne museum.

Michael
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Old 15th February 2009, 08:54 PM   #17
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Default Very rare 500 year old quivers for crossbow bolts/quarrels

The wooden core is covered with pig skin, the mouth of the quiver is leather covered, the original leather lid is now missing on almost all surviving samples.

Michael
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Old 15th February 2009, 08:55 PM   #18
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One more detail.
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Old 25th February 2009, 06:42 PM   #19
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Default How Curved grooves for Wooden or Leather Fletches Were Cut Into Gothic Quarrel Hafts

Two line drawings, after 1505, from Martin Löffelholz's Nuremberg scrapbook started in 1505. They picture devices to cut slightly curved grooves into cossbow quarrel hafts for insetting wooden or leather flights/fletches to give them a more accurate ballistic spin as they went.

500 year old machine based mass production.

Michael
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Old 18th March 2009, 09:38 PM   #20
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Default At the Met, N.Y.

The first dated 1460, made for Duke Ulrich V of Württemberg, Southern Germany.

Michael
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Old 18th March 2009, 09:40 PM   #21
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The rest.
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Old 31st July 2009, 05:47 PM   #22
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A fine Late Gothic crossbow, 1st half 15th century, and two fine 15th century century quivers, all from the former armory of Schloss Hohenaschau, Upper Bavaria, now preserved at the Bavarian National Museum Munich.

Michael
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Old 9th August 2009, 01:41 PM   #23
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A crossbow from the Basle arsenal, in a Christie's sale in the 1990's.
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Old 25th August 2009, 04:08 PM   #24
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Default Two Fine South German Cranequins Dated 1545 and 1600 Respectively

... in the Wallace Collection, London.

The crank of the one dated 1600 is missing.

Best,
Michael
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Old 23rd October 2009, 09:57 PM   #25
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Default War Quarrels (Crossbow Bolts), 15th to Early 16th Century

A group of eleven and another of ten, some of the original hafts (Zaine) retaining their wooden (and partially) leather flights.

Sold Bonhams London, 26 Nov 2008.

Best,
Michael
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Old 23rd October 2009, 10:35 PM   #26
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More.
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Old 23rd October 2009, 10:43 PM   #27
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The rest.

In some of the hafts in the previous part of this post, small holes can be noted drilled into some of the hafts. They give proof that these quarrels were part of later decorative displays such as roundel or fan shaped arrangements which became very popular during the 17th to 19th centuries and to which the quarrels had been fixed by wires.

Best,
Michael
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Old 23rd October 2009, 10:53 PM   #28
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Default Various Arrow- and Quarrel Heads, Probably 11th to 16th Centuries

Sold Bonhams, Nov 26, 2008.
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Old 2nd January 2011, 09:34 PM   #29
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Default Some important period artwork

... from the Fencing Books by Thalhoffer, 2 vols., dated 1459!

Best,
Michael
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Old 14th March 2011, 01:28 AM   #30
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Six 15th c. crossbow bolts in fine condition, the oak wood hafts drilled for fixing to a later Baroque or Historismus iron panoply, as shown above.
Author's collection, recent acquisitions.

Best,
Michael
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