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Title
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Metal Pellet Crossbow (Kugelschepper), mid-17th Century
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Collection Location
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Unknown (private sale)
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Date
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mid-17th century
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Location
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Germany
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Description
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At the tip of this crossbow, there is a forked sight with two metal sticks pointing upward. The prod is made of steel and appears to penetrate the iron stock directly. The prod bears a bowstring which is original. The trigger appears to be a hair trigger. The trigger guard is iron. Typical of the German kugelschnepper, this crossbow is made entirely of metal except for the bowstring and a wooden butt. The wooden butt is inlaid with strips and plates of engraved bone. Some of the inlaid bone depicts flowers or birds, but the largest ones depict whole hunting scenes. Thierry de Maigret describes one such scene as showing a man on horseback with a crossbow in hand. Thierry de Maigret describes the very end of the butt as being covered with brown horn.
Two of the plates of engraved bone are not original.
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Source
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Thierry de Maigret Commissaire-Priseur [Thierry de Maigret Auctioneer]
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Crossbow Top Measurements
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Length: 68 cm
Width (length of prod): 49.5 cm
