Art Institute of Chicago

Crossbow

German

Date

c.1450—c.1470

Medium

Steel, iron, horn, bone, staghorn, birch bark, cherrywood, and hemp fiber

Culture

Europe

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Strong enough to pierce through mail or plate armor at close ranges, the crossbow was a formidable weapon on the late medieval battlefield. In the fifteenth century, most bows like this example were made of joined pieces of horn, bone, and sinew bound by animal-skin glue and covered in a layer of painted birch bark to make them waterproof. The worn condition of this bow has made its layers visible. The added steel plate at the front of the bow to hold the bolt (arrow) is a later repair, suggesting this crossbow had a long working life in an Austrian or German arsenal or armory—possibly well into the end of the fifteenth century.

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