Crossbow of Elector Augustus I of Saxony (c. 1553–73): Art, History and Details

Crossbow of Elector Augustus I of Saxony (c. 1553–73) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

This crossbow was a hunting weapon for Prince Elector Augustus I, a member of the ruling elite in the Holy Roman Empire. Augustus, powerful and wealthy, had even the most practical instruments ornately decorated, including this crossbow and its cranequin, or winding device.

Object facts

• Title: Crossbow of Elector Augustus I of Saxony
• Date: c. 1553–73
• Culture: Germany, Saxony, 16th century
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: wood (walnut?), bone veneers, flax cord, steel (etched, traces of gilding). woolen pompoms, stock decorated wih inlaid trophies of arms
• Dimensions: Overall: 58.5 cm (23 1/16 in.); Bow: 58.5 cm (23 1/16 in.); Butt: 5.7 cm (2 1/4 in.)
• Collection: MED - Arms & Armor
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1916.1723.a

A detail from the museum

Augustus was a marksman who took part in crossbow competitions. He had a large collection and often gave them to friends.

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance

Further reading listed by the museum

• 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.
• Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.

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.