Subject: Waidknecht forester/woodsman

Culture: German

Setting: Holy Roman Empire 16-17thc

Object: Armbrust crossbow

Metropolitan Museum of Art > Stone Gallery of Arms and Armor *

"Pellet Crossbow Combined with Wheellock Pistol

Steel; wood, inlaid with engraved staghorn

Netherlandish or German, about 1575-1600" ...

* Arlington Museum of Art > A Knight's Tale

"Crossbow German manufacture Late 16th century Wood, bone, steel, cord

Crossbows of this size were made for hunting,

and this purpose is evident in the decorative themes applied to the frame.

They are typical of the German area of manufacture and were commonly employed throughout the 1600s.

"The steel bow is very powerful. To put it into tension, the simple force of the arms is not enough;

for this purpose, a crank handle and gears were used to facilitate the task."

Metropolitan Museum of Art > Stone Gallery of Arms and Armor *

"Box of Crossbow Bolts Wood, veneered with mahogany

and inlaid with colored wood marqetry and engraved bone

Hans Wagner (recorded 1539-about 1553) German (Munich), dated 1539

The lid is inlaid with scenes from the medieval legend of Virgil the Sorcerer.

The maker, Wagner, signs himself Pixenschifter, gunstock decorator." ...

* Medio Evo