Schnepper (Kugelarmbrust)

Pellet-shooting crossbows evolved in the late Middle Ages and became increasingly popular in the early sixteenth century. A modified, lighter version of the traditional crossbow, they were primarily used for hunting (mainly rabbits and birds). Unlike a traditional crossbow, a pellet crossbow does not shoot bolts but pellets, mostly made of stone, lead, iron, or clay. These projectiles required a double string with a small basket to launch them (missing here). The front sight consists of two vertical steel columns between which a bead originally was suspended.

With its slender, straight, square stock, this crossbow is a typical example of the Western European type; it was probably produced in the mid-sixteenth century in the Low Countries. Its wooden shaft is painted red and embellished with spiralling gold foliate and bone inlays with a tinted pattern. The release lever of the locking mechanism is shaped like a snake, and the bow is painted with golden garlands.

Crossbows were elite weapons used for hunting, which made them treasured possessions. As symbols of their (male or female) owner’s elevated social status, they were often exchanged as diplomatic gifts and were therefore elaborately decorated. This crossbow probably belonged to Archduchess Mary, sister of Emperor Charles V, dowager Queen of Bohemia and Hungary and, from 1531, governor of the Spanish Netherlands. There are damaged arms of Austria and Burgundy on the stock right behind the bow. Long in the collection housed at Ambras Castle near Innsbruck, it may have been a gift from Mary to her nephew Archduke Ferdinand II, who visited her in 1544.