16th Century Crossbow

Title

16th Century Crossbow

Collection Location

Veytaux, Switzerland

Date

C. 16th century

Location

Unknown

Description

This composite crossbow is made from fruit wood and inlaid with horn and deer antlers. As part of its earlier design, the prod of the crossbow was coated with painted birch bark. It features a single axis rolling nut secured with a nussfadden or the “nut thread,” typical of Central European crossbows in the 16th century. A rare feature is its support system for spanning devices.

This crossbow is one of three examples where its stock features “wedge-like protrusions,” rather than a transverse lug to support the spanning device, likely an attribute of Central European crossbows (Breiding, p. 29, 138).

Source

Château de Chillon

Link:

https://www.chillon.ch/en/setting-the-chillon-crossbows-in-our-sights/

https://www.chillon.ch/en/castle/weapons-and-armour/

https://www.facebook.com/ChateauChillon/photos/la-l%C3%A9gende-de-guillaume-tell-passionne-toujours-avec-la-fameuse-sc%C3%A8ne-de-larbal%C3%A8/3365284023488162/?locale=es_LA

https://www.chillon.ch/en/take-on-the-10-chillon-challenges/

Breiding, Dirk H, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. A Deadly Art : European Crossbows, 1250-1850. New Haven: distributed by Yale University Press, 2013.
https://resources.metmuseum.org/resources/metpublications/pdf/A_Deadly_Art_European_Crossbows_1250_1850.pdf