id: 95985 accession number: 1916.1723 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1723 updated: 2023-03-03 07:01:11.618000 Crossbow and Cranequin of Elector Augustus I of Saxony, c. 1553–73. Germany, Saxony, 16th century. Wood (walnut?), bone veneers, flax cord, steel (etched, traces of gilding). woolen pompoms, stock decorated wih inlaid trophies of arms; bow: 58.5 cm (23 1/16 in.); butt: 5.7 cm (2 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1723 title: Crossbow and Cranequin of Elector Augustus I of Saxony title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 1553–73 creation date earliest: 1548 creation date latest: 1578 current location: 210A Armor Court creditline: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance copyright: --- culture: Germany, Saxony, 16th century technique: wood (walnut?), bone veneers, flax cord, steel (etched, traces of gilding). woolen pompoms, stock decorated wih inlaid trophies of arms department: Medieval Art collection: MED - Arms & Armor type: Arms and Armor find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Bow: 58.5 cm (23 1/16 in.); Butt: 5.7 cm (2 1/4 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Master Goldsmiths of the Renaissance: Their Models and Designs opening date: 1982-11-02T05:00:00 Master Goldsmiths of the Renaissance: Their Models and Designs. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 2, 1982-March 20, 1983). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE Richard Zschille (1847-1903), Leipzig, Germany date: footnotes: citations: Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art date: -1916 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1916- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: Augustus was a marksman who took part in crossbow competitions. He had a large collection and often gave them to friends. digital description: This crossbow was a hunting weapon for Prince Elector Augustus I, a member of the ruling elite in the Holy Roman Empire. Augustus, powerful and wealthy, had even the most practical instruments ornately decorated, including this crossbow and its cranequin, or winding device. wall description: This crossbow, along with its winder (or cranequin), is a masterpiece of Renaissance decorative arts. The crossbow's stock is inlaid with engraved stag horn and ebony depictions of trophies, arms, and musical instruments. The cranequin is also enriched with engraved designs: flowers, leaves, masks, and trophies. Even the cranking handle is minutely decorated. The coat of arms of Augustus I, Prince Elector of Saxony, is on the winder. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Catalogue of an Exhibition of Arms and Armor: [Exhibition] Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Summer, 1899. Boston: The Museum, 1899. page number: Cat. No. 277 url: Forrer, Robert. Die Waffensammlung des Herrn Stadtrath Rich. Zschille in Grossenhain (Sachsen). 1900. page number: Mentioned: p. 27, cat. no. 1026a url: https://archive.org/details/ForrerZschille1/page/n33 Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. page number: Mentioned: pp. 175-176, G9; Reproduced: Plate XXXVIII, G9 url: https://archive.org/details/SeveranceCollection1924/page/n252 Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. page number: Mentioned and reproduced: P. 134-137 url: Fliegel Stephen N., "The Armor Court", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 38 no. 07, September 1998 page number: Mentioned & reproduced: p. 6 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAMM1998-07/page/6 Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. page number: Mentioned: P. 192, cat. no. 205 url: Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. page number: cat. 113, p. 296, 297 url: Eikelmann, Renate, Holger A. Klein, Stephen N. Fliegel, and Virginia Brilliant. The Cleveland Museum of Art: Meisterwerke von 300 bis 1550. München: Hirmer, 2007. page number: url: LaRocca, Donald J., et al. The Armorer's Art: Essays in Honor of Stuart Pyhrr. 2014. page number: pp. 115-132 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1723/1916.1723_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1723/1916.1723_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1723/1916.1723_full.tif