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Title
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Saxon Wandschnepper Crossbow, 1725
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Collection Location
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Unknown (private collection)
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Date
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1725
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Location
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Saxony, Germany
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Description
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At the tip of this crossbow, there is a suspension ring made of iron. The prod is metal. The bowstring features cockscombing. Bindings secure the prod to the stock. The stock is made of walnut wood and inlaid with bone and deer antler. The inlay features intricate designs. There are motifs of swords, pikes, axes, musical horns, bows, arrows, quivers, armor (such as a feathered helmet and plate armor), chains, spheres (possibly cannonballs), and medallions depicting a man crowned with a laurel wreath like Caesar, evoking an Ancient Roman battle standard.
In general, many of the inlaid designs on this crossbow have borders made of simple lines made of more bone inlaid into the wood of the stock. Sometimes those simple lines end in small flourishes which are difficult to discern.
The cheek rest is slightly concave. There is an elaborate centrepiece design on the cheek rest. The central image is as follows. There is a shield with an ox in the centre. Two crossed keys go behind the shield. There is a crown above all that. Around the edges of that central design, there are cannons, shields, flags, a medallion evoking an Ancient Roman battle standard, quivers, spears, musical horns, swords, and a feathered helmet. All that rests on a platform that has a tasseled cloth over it.
On the underside of the cheek rest, there is a small design engraved into bone inlay. That design involved a drum, a shield, a bow, a spear, and a quiver of arrows. That design is framed with simple lines, with a zigzag design along the upper part of the image.
In the wood of the stock, near the cheek rest, there is some leafy scrollwork, evoking the rinceaux style.
The catch of the crossbow appears to be metal. The number “1725” is carved nearby.
The butt has “no. 2” carved into it. This crossbow was likely spanned with a goat’s-foot lever. La Gazette Drouot states that this crossbow would have been used in the sport of target shooting.
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Source
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La Gazette Drouot and Drouot Estimations
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Crossbow Top Measurements
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Total length of crossbow: 71 cm
Length of stock: 68 cm
Width of crossbow (length of prod): 56.5 cm
