Item ref: 2987
Private collection, France
The maker’s mark is struck on the bow-lath.
Bows of this type were used for the sport of shooting wooden targets set atop a high pole. This pastime was particularly popular with the nobility and landed classes within the eastern German regions, the colourful competitions took on highly elaborate protocols and regalia, and consequently Dresden emerged as the centre for the manufacturing of crossbows of notably high quality.