Late Gothic Crossbows and Accouterments
 

The first two from Peter Finer's site.

More to follow.

Michael

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

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

The other quiver in the Bayerisches Armeemuseum Ingolstadt. Its style of decoration refllects the Eastern European taste.

Michael

A fine late 15th century Gothic crossbow
 

At the Kelvingrove Museum Glasgow.

Michael

Late Gothic crossbows at the Army Museum Bukarest/Romania
 

Note the painted composite bow.

Michael

More.

Found these on the internet, possibly taken at the Hungarian National Museum Budapest.

Michael

More than 25,000 Gothic crossbow bolts
 

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

Michael

One more of the display at the Soest Ostenhof-Museum.

Michael

Crossbows at the Real Armeria Madrid
 

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

Michael

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

An early 16th century quiver
 

At the Museum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck/The Tyrol.

Michael

Finally here is the image of the smith's mark on the tiller trigger.

Michael

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

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

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

One more detail.

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

At the Met, N.Y.
 

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

Michael

The rest.

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

A crossbow from the Basle arsenal, in a Christie's sale in the 1990's.

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

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

More.

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

Various Arrow- and Quarrel Heads, Probably 11th to 16th Centuries
 

Sold Bonhams, Nov 26, 2008.

Some important period artwork
 

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

Best,
Michael

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