Box For Crossbow Bolts (<i>Bolzenkasten</i>), Probably Made for Willia

A long, shallow wooden box, its lid and front panel inlaid with pale staghorn in a town scene of buildings, figures and fountains above a band of scrolling ornament with small figures. The dark wood contrasts sharply with the light inlay, and the box is set at a three-quarter angle against a grey backdrop.

Look closer: A small hinged iron lock plate and key sit at the left end of the box, below the lid edge.

Artist

Hans Wagner the Elder

Date

dated 1539

Medium

Wood (lid and front panel: fruitwood, possibly pear; bottom: walnut; inlay: possibly sycamore; later repairs: mahogany moldings and Indian r

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1953 × 1259 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Bashford Dean Bequest, 1969