Crossbow (c. 1460–70): Art, History and Details

Crossbow (c. 1460–70) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The cranequin, or winding device sitting on top of the crossbow, made it easier to span for reloading. With a full quiver, a container for bolts and arrows, a hunter could bring home plenty of meat.

Object facts

• Title: Crossbow
• Date: c. 1460–70
• Culture: Germany
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: wood (walnut?) inlaid with bone; horn; iron and steel; composite bow (horn and parchment)
• Dimensions: Overall: 87 cm (34 1/4 in.); Bow: 74.5 cm (29 5/16 in.); Butt: 4.2 cm (1 5/8 in.)
• Collection: MED - Arms & Armor
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1916.1725

A detail from the museum

In every army in Europe crossbowmen were considered an elite corps, and as such occupied the central position in battle formations.

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance

Further reading listed by the museum

• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Catalogue of an Exhibition of Arms and Armor: [Exhibition] Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Summer, 1899. Boston: The Museum, 1899.
• Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924.
• Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.