The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 27, 2023

Cranequin

c. 1480–1500

This object has related works. See Crossbow

France (?), late 15th Century

Steel and brass; incised decoration; pierced traceried Gothic windows

Rack: 39.4 cm (15 1/2 in.); Crank: 30.2 cm (11 7/8 in.); Gear housing: 12.1 cm (4 3/4 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.2082

Location

210A Armor Court

Fun Fact

The mark, made of inlaid copper, is currently unidentified.

Description

Bows made of composite materials were developed during the 1400s. They were immensely powerful and could be spanned only with the aid of a winder called a cranequin like the one seen here.

Provenance
Franz Thille, Vienna, Austria
?-1916
Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1916-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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. Cat. No. 509
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. p. 133, 173, no. 205
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 209, p. 193
Exhibition history

Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.2082