Crossbows fitted with a spanning device
Two studies of crossbows equipped with a mechanism for drawing the bow
Two red-chalk studies (oriented upside-down relative to the notebook) show crossbows equipped with a device for spanning the bow. A fainter sketch at the left and a fuller one at the right present the weapon from complementary views, its tall central mast rising from paired curved limbs. No transcribed text accompanies the drawings.
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Crossbows with a bow-spanning mechanism
The two figures depict crossbows mounted with a spanning device, the tall shaft carrying the drawing mechanism above the bow's curved limbs. They continue the crossbow spanning studies of the surrounding folios.
The spanning mechanism
Each crossbow is shown with the geared or levered apparatus that draws the bow back, worked into the central mast. The mechanism is the focus rather than the weapon's stock.