Quiver for Crossbow Bolts
c. 1480
Medium
Wood, leather, and boar skin
Dimensions
H.: 40.6 cm (16 in.)
Classification
crossbow
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
116851
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Used to carry and store crossbow bolts (arrows), very few bolt quivers survive from the fifteenth century. This rare example is covered in the hairy hide of a boar or domestic pig, used as a hard-wearing, water-resistant covering over a wooden core. Much of the stiff bristly hair has now worn off but originally covered the entire quiver. Period paintings and illustrations show what such quivers originally looked like, for example, the crossbowman in the foreground of Christ Carrying the Cross we...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...