Crossbow

1730/50

German

Deadly accurate within a range of about 50 yards, the crossbow remained a popular hunting and target-shooting weapon long after the invention of firearms. Both nobility and common citizens joined crossbow guilds or societies that organized regular competitions. This crossbow decorated with a double-headed eagle is one of several that belong to such a group. It weighs over 21 lbs., representing the largest size used, and can shoot targets up to 70 yards out.

Status: On View, Gallery 239
Department: Applied Arts of Europe

Title: Crossbow
Place: Germany (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1730–1750
Medium: Steel, fruitwood, staghorn, leather, and hemp
Dimensions: 11.4 × 73.7 × 88.3 cm (4 1/2 × 29 × 34 3/4 in.)
Credit Line: George F. Harding Collection
Reference Number: 1982.2186
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/106302/manifest.json

Walter Karchieski, “Arms and Armor in the Art Institute of Chicago” (Art Institute of Chicago/Little, Brown, and Company, 1995), p. 50 (ill.)

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.