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Title
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Italian Pellet Crossbow (Very Large), 17th-18th Century
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Collection Location
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Private Collection
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Date
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17th-18th Century
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Location
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Italy
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Description
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The tip of this crossbow lacks the pyramidal spike typical of Italian pellet crossbows. It has a forked sight made of iron. The iron prod lacks a bowstring. The prod is secured to the wooden stock with bow irons.
There is a sort of metal collar around the stock at this point.
The stock then curves in a concave shape, down and then up again into a straight form. This part of an Italian pellet crossbow is usually curved rather smoothly like half a circle, but this area on this crossbow appears somewhat flatter, likely due to its great length.
At the end of the curve, there is a hook meant to secure the bowstring. This hook is on an axle which is secured to the stock with two metal pieces, one on each side. These metal pieces have decorative elements of scrollwork and an oval, reminiscent of some other Italian pellet crossbows.
After that, there are some decorative ridges carved into the stock. After that, there is a large hump-like protrusion and a smaller round one, possibly meant to be later carved into a piece of scrollwork. The rest of the stock is relatively plain, until the butt, which is a rounded pommel or knob with rings carved into it.
The metalwork on this crossbow shows signs of rust.
The extreme length of the crossbow is unusual. Typically, a large pellet crossbow will not exceed approximately 100 cm.
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Source
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CZERNY'S INTERNATIONAL AUCTION HOUSE
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Crossbow Top Measurements
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Length: 123.5 cm
Width (length of prod): 111 cm
