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Title
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16th century Crossbow and Cranequin
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Collection Location
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Basel Historical Museum, Basel, Switzerland
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Date
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1565
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Location
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Switzerland
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Description
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The crossbow has a steel prod and a wooden stock with ivory inlays. The sides of the stock are decorated with vines and floral arrangements and animals like horses, hares, and wolves. According to the source, beneath it at the front of the stock is St Mary Magdalene and a skull with the date, 1565 and at the back is the image of Lucretia, a Roman figure whose rape and suicide led to the establishment of the Roman Republic. Her story was very well-known in the sixteenth century and closely associated with humanist ideologies. However, these figures are not visible in the images featured on the auction house’s sight. The prod binding is made of hemp rope, looping around the steel suspension ring. The trigger also appears to be covered in hemp. The bolt clip and nut lock are still intact, along with the U-shaped rear sight.
The cranequin or rack and pinion winch is made of steel and ornately designed with various floral patterns carved into the rack and wheel. It would be placed on the stock, and the hook would be attached to the string to span the crossbow. This did slow down the firing rate of the weapon, making it inferior to firearms during battle but still useful for hunting.
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Crossbow Top Measurements
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Bow length: 60 cm
Stock length: 63 cm
