Medieval Crossbows: Photos, Drawings, Diagrams

First topic message reminder :

Good time of day!

I Want to present to you a few 16-th century crossbow photos, which adorns our forum as the first sample of medieval crossbows :flower: (It also adorns the desktop of my computer - is one of my favorite :queen: )

"Why not purpleheart?"
Because I'm allergic to the stuff and like many hardwoods, it's very high in silicates. I told Lightly she was welcome to build that darned purpleheart Padre bow, but only if whe worked on it when I was outa the shop, and she has to clean up the dust.
It will make a very handsome piece, particularly if she uses bronze for lockplates and cheek-plates, like the Maltese bows at Valetta.
Geezer.

It is a gorgeous bit of wood... and the stock is pretty well shaped, the nut socket is mortised into the stock, and a few bits of bronze are laid aside... it is just Time... I've got bows to make for Pennsic, and three client bows! And before that the rush to make bows for that movie, and for Gulf Wars...

And, like Geezer says, I can only work on it when he is outta the shop. And *I* wear a mask while sanding it... same for walnut now. But, someday.... someday...

Someday will never come, Lightly. Be careful. And dusk masks are a good thing. I use mine a lot anymore.

Gnome...

Ever Their praises, and abundance to the Black Goat of the Woods. Iä! Shub-Niggurath!

The Horror in the Museum and other Revisions is one place The Mound is published in. Look for the corrected 3rd edition by Arkham House, a beautiful hardcover with a nice dust jacket cover. I found it in one of the great, late used bookstores in Boston years ago, when the ass end of Newbury Street really was a good place for students and hipsters and punks and artists to hang out affordably at. The Crawling Chaos and The Meadow, both favorites of mine, are in this.

Del Ray came out with an inexpensive trade paperback edition too a year or so ago.

I am really lucky to live in the middle of Lovecraft country. I’m still trying to track down where he lived in Brattleboro for a couple of summers. And who knows, this summer I may spend some time in Innsmouth. I hear there is a rickety bus that makes that trip, and it sounds fun, even if no one seems to blink.

Sorry for the thread necromancy. I was wondering if you could remember where you took or got the photo of the large cross bow? Or at least where I might look to find out where it is?
Many thanks, and I would like to say an interesting site.
Thanks
Jonathan

photo

Ivo wrote:Got a little bit of eye candy for you guys...probably the most massive crossbow I've seen so far.



I can't remember what museum it's in, have it saved in the bookmarks somewhere...

Anyway, if anyone knows anything about these huge bows, what they were used for and how...it would definitely be great to hear.

Thanks and You're Welcome

Ivo

I suspect they were wall mounted "light artillery". Not too long ago I saw a Rick Steves Travelogue of the three smallest countries in Europe. I believe it was Lichtenstein where they showed these two guys loading and firing such large, yoke-mounted crossbows across the castle's grounds, from tower to tower for target practice.

As for the pic of three crossbows, including the wall-bow. If you assume the bow on the left is @ 30 inches long, you'll be about right. Geezer.

And yes, it's light artillery... a ganz-rustung, used for tower defense, or siegecraft. Geezer.

All that makes sense and I have heard of them...
Still any idea where this actual photo is from?
Thanks again.
JW

I don't remember where I dug up this photo, probably some blog. Searched with that photo and it seems that Arbalist is the only site sharing this picture freely...strange.

However, there are forums out there that require one to register to even get a glimpse of what they're about and that goes for Google searches as well, so if you're interested in digging for it, you might want to look around "TheOtherForum" or was it "ThatOtherForum" (no joke, that's the name). From what I remember, those are the highly historical guys heavy on accurate replicas of Medieval Arms&Armour.

Good Luck,

Ivo

ok thanks.... I will give that a try.
Best
Jonathan

This crossbow is in the Bavarian Army Museum at Ingolstadt.

Brilliant thanks
Jonathan