[Leo Todeschini]

I have been comissioned to make a replica of this bow, but this is the only picture I have of it, do you know any provenance for it, where I can find pictures or even which Museum (if any) it is in?

Any help would be much appreciated

Tod

[Leo Todeschini]

sorry trying to work out how to paste a picture................

[Randall Moffett]

Looks like one of the Churburg ones. I will see if I cannot find more info when I can get a hold of the book.

RPM

[Neil Langley]

Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight cites this illustration as Royal Armouries HM Tower of London I think (there seems to be some confusion in the acknowledgments as the picture is at the bottom of page 130 and should be identified ‘130BT’ but there it is given as ‘130C’ – with two other illustrations on page 130, both from the Wallace Collection, given as ‘130 above and below’). Anyway, it has to be one or the other.

The accompanying description is:

‘A Bavarian crossbow C 1450-70. The tiller is overlaid with staghorn to resemble ivory and the steel bow with painted parchment.’

Neil.

[Leo Todeschini]

Thanks very much for that Neil, looks like the Wallace is most likely, either way local to me so thanks very much

I will post up a picture when its done, but that may be a little while

Tod

[Randall Moffett]

Leo,

Once you know you have found it let us know.

Look forward to the pictures of it finished!

RPM

[Dan Dickinson]

It's definately the Wallace one.....once I get back from the holidays I'll try to post the description and photos from the Mann Catalogs......or if someone has their copy handy feel free.
Dan

[Dan Dickinson]

Ok, as promised here's the description. It's A1032 in the Wallace Collection (or at least it was at the time of publication in '62).

Steel BOW covered with gilt parchment painted with eight-petalled conventional flowers in red; it is bound to the tiller with a bridle of en-twined cord and leather thongs; gilt iron ring at the top. It retains
its original bow-string of twisted cord. The STOCK or TILLER is of wood wholly veneered with polished stag's horn carved in relief with figures and shields of arms, the arms of the owner alone being painted in the flat. The tiller is pierced
with a steel pin with gilt ends (to engage the claw of the rack), and furnished with steel trigger (bearing the maker's mark), a steel plate upon which to rest the thumb when discharging the piece, a revolving nut of horn, a V-shaped foresight which is slotted and permitting of lateral movement (no doubt to allow for windage). It was spanned by engaging the string in the revolving barrel or nut which was then released by the trigger.
The subjects of the carving on the sides and underpart of the tiller are: (1) at the fore-end St. George in armour standing on the Dragon under a Gothic canopy with roped styles, with the arms of Bavaria (chequy lozengy azure and argent) below. On either side of him are (2) the Emperor Maximinus ordering the beheading of St. Catherine; and on the other side (3) three men, two of them fighting with two-hand swords. Below this comes a row of carved and painted shields en-circling the stock, except on the upper side: (a) azure, a crowned lion passant regardant to sinister argent, (b) Bindenschild of Austria (gules, a fesse argent), (c) azure two bars argent, perhaps intended for Hungary ancient which is harry of eight argent and gules, (d) gules, a horn argent, (e) azure, a fesse with three stars in chief argent, (f) azure or sable, a crescent argent (perhaps for Woellworth of Wurtemburg), (g) azure, a cross pate rising from a mound for Hungary modern. The field is now azure but should be gules. Painted, not carved, on the top of the tiller, are the quartered arms of Fels-Colonna, its former owners.
Below the binding of the nut on the left side are (4) a fool playing bagpipes; (5) a young woman being enticed by Folly from Wisdom; and on the other side (6) three armed men, two showing their backs, the centre one in full Gothic armour, possibly connected with (8) below; (7) a girl between two young men; on the other side (8) the martyrdom of St. Sebastian; (9) three nude figures, a male between two females; (10) Adam and Eve. Running along the underside under the trigger-guard are (11) entwined dragons, and on one side (12) a stag-hunt lead by a horseman in armour and hounds.
The identification of the arms is qualified by the probability that some of the tinctures may have been altered at a later date.
L. overall 28 ¼ (72.0); span of bow 23 ½ (59.6); Wt. 9:11 (4.400) German (Bavarian), about 1450-70
The subjects carved in relief on this remarkable bow strongly resemble in manner engravings by the Master E. S., c. 1460, and his follower,
Israhel van Meckenem, but there is no exact correspondence,
H. Wagner, Trachtenbuch des Mittelalters, Munich, 1830, Part 2, pi. VlII; Skelton II, Pls. XCVI, XCVII; Meyrick Catalogue[/i], No. 25; Laking, European Armour III, Fig. 938
Provenance: Fels; Sir S. R. Meyrick
The castle of Fels, or Vels, is near Bozen (Bolzano) in South Tyrol.
The Fels family are first recorded in Tyrol in the XlIth century, became
Freiherren in 1638, and counts in 1712. A branch was established in
Bohemia in 1572. Christoph Leopold Colonna von Fels was Grand
Huntsman (K. K. Jagdmeister) of Silesia, about 1700. Like other
Tyrolese families, including Trapp of Churburg, they adopted as an
augmentation the arms of Colonna of Rome without being related by
blood.




Hope this helps,
Dan

[Leo Todeschini]

Brilliant Dan, I really appreciate that. I haven't got time now to go through it, but will have a thorough look in the next few days.

Thanks

Tod