with heavy steel bow retaining its original painted finish comprising a trellis design sown with flowerheads on the front, back, upper and lower edges, early cords, green silk pom-poms and string, iron stirrup, tiller swelling about the nut, inlaid and veneered over much of its surface with engraved staghorn plaques (very small restorations, light wear), the top applied with a large plaque over its entire surface, decorated on the right side with an elaborate contemporary woodland hunting scene ahead of a castle, the owner’s coat-of-arms and a herm and further mounted figures, on the left with figurative scenes after Joachim Meyer and a further scene including St Michael slaying the serpent, an amorous couple, scrolling foliage and ball flowers, the bottom engraved with the date around the cocking rod aperture, scrolls, a pair of marine monsters and a niche with the figure of Ceres, fitted with bone nut, a pair of iron lugs for a cranequin, horn bolt-clip, gilt copper alloy back-sight, a gilt copper alloy cartouche engraved ‘ehrlich zu leben und selig zu sterben’ (to live honestly, to die in blessedness), etched trigger-plate, leather-bound writhen iron trigger (small losses), and a gilt copper alloy plaque enclosing the top and butt of the tiller (a working life repair), the string with circular brass inventory tag ‘1438’ and the tiller with another ‘1365’

Provenance

Frank Bivens

The arms are for a member of the Princes Salm family.

It is likely that the bow was refurbished in the 17th century, at which time the bow was painted, and the pom-poms, string, gilt copper mounts and bolt-clip were fitted. The inclusion of an apparent extract after Joachim Meyer's Art of Combat (Kunst des Fechtens) of 1570 is unusual, perhaps unique, in this context.