The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 19, 2024

Crossbow and Cranequin of Elector Augustus I of Saxony

Crossbow and Cranequin of Elector Augustus I of Saxony

c. 1553–73

Did You Know?

Augustus was a marksman who took part in crossbow competitions. He had a large collection and often gave them to friends.

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.
  • Richard Zschille (1847-1903), Leipzig, Germany
    -1916
    Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • 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. Cat. No. 277
    Forrer, Robert. Die Waffensammlung des Herrn Stadtrath Rich. Zschille in Grossenhain (Sachsen). 1900. Mentioned: p. 27, cat. no. 1026a archive.org
    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. Mentioned: pp. 175-176, G9; Reproduced: Plate XXXVIII, G9 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 134-137
    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 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 6 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned: P. 192, cat. no. 205
    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. cat. 113, p. 296, 297
    Eikelmann, Renate, Holger A. Klein, Stephen N. Fliegel, and Virginia Brilliant. The Cleveland Museum of Art: Meisterwerke von 300 bis 1550. München: Hirmer, 2007.
    LaRocca, Donald J., et al. The Armorer's Art: Essays in Honor of Stuart Pyhrr. 2014. pp. 115-132
  • Master Goldsmiths of the Renaissance: Their Models and Designs. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 2, 1982-March 20, 1983).
  • {{cite web|title=Crossbow and Cranequin of Elector Augustus I of Saxony|url=false|author=|year=c. 1553–73|access-date=19 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1723