About this artwork
Units of crossbowmen used shields or pavises like this example to form a wall of protection while loading and aiming their crossbows. This pavise is part of a group that survived in the arsenal of the Swiss city of Winterthur.
Pavises were the product of specialized shield makers who made the wooden forms and covered them in layers of animal-skin glue, canvas, and leather. Painters then added the colorful front-facing layer with the coat-of-arms of the city of Winterthur (on the left) and Saint George (on the right).
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Applied Arts of Europe
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Title
- Pavise with the Arms of Winterthur and Saint George
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Place
- Winterthur (Place depicted:)
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Date
- Made 1420–1480
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Medium
- Wood, leather, pigskin, iron, gesso, and pigment
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Dimensions
- 112.7 × 43.2 cm (45 3/8 × 17 in.)
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Credit Line
- George F. Harding Collection
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Reference Number
- 1982.2255
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/106393/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.