id:			95989
accession number:	1916.1726
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1726
updated:		2021-01-15 10:06:52.333000

Pellet Crossbow, 1600s. South Germany (?), 17th century. Wood, inlaid with stag horn; flax cord; steel with traces of paint and gilding; overall: 82.6 cm (32 1/2 in.); bow: 59.4 cm (23 3/8 in.); butt: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1726

title:				Pellet Crossbow
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1600s
creation date earliest:		1600
creation date latest:		1699
current location:		210A Armor Court
creditline:			Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
copyright:			

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culture:	South Germany (?), 17th century
technique:	wood, inlaid with stag horn; flax cord; steel with traces of paint and gilding
department:	Medieval Art
collection:	MED - Arms & Armor
type:		Arms and Armor
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 82.6 cm (32 1/2 in.); Bow: 59.4 cm (23 3/8 in.); Butt: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Armor Court Reinstallation
	opening date:   1998-09-10T00:00:00
	<i>Armor Court Reinstallation</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	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: 	


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fun fact: 
This is a custom-made crossbow combining popular Italian and German designs of the 1600s.

digital description: 
This ornate pellet crossbow is designed to fire molded clay pellets or small rocks, giving it the name stonebow. The bow is hand drawn and used for hunting small game.

wall description: 
Pellet crossbows shot small stones or molded clay pellets rather than steel-tipped bolts. They were used solely for hunting fowl and small animals, such as squirrels, rabbits, or ermine. Pellet crossbows (also called stonebows) lacked the power and range of conventional crossbows, but they could be drawn by hand. They were used throughout Europe from about 1550 to 1700 and were often beautifully decorated.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	<em>Catalogue of Arms and Armour</em>. Vol. 4, <em>17th to 19th century and a few pieces of iron work</em>. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915].
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (240) 263
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CatArmsArmour4/page/n410

	Gilchrist, Helen Ives. <em>A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms &amp; Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923</em>. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924.
	page number: 	Mentioned: p. 176, G11; Reproduced: Plate XXXVIII, G11
	url:		https://archive.org/details/SeveranceCollection1924/page/n253

	Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.
	page number: 	p. 139
	url:		

	Fliegel, Stephen N.<em> Arms &amp; Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. </em>[Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
	page number: 	cat. no. 208, p. 193
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1726/1916.1726_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1726/1916.1726_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1726/1916.1726_full.tif