Medieval and Renaissance Archers

The goal of this page is to view how archers would have dressed (or armored) in the Middle Ages, in terms of realistic period portrayals of archers. There are plenty of unrealistic examples, of course; this list avoids figures dressed more for allegory or myth than for practical archery.

This list should also be useful for viewing period depictions of archery accoutrements. See Archers in Action for a brief but interesting description of medieval combat archery, or these links on medieval archery equipment.) Also notable are portraits by Memling and van der Weyden of men holding arrows. There is an interesting description of medieval Welsh archers at Data Wales.

• The Maciejowski Bible, 13th century
  The Israelites are repulsed from Hai (fol. 10r): An archer with a crossbow.
  The city of Hai is captured and its King is hanged (fol. 10v): An archer with a crossbow.
  Saul destroys Nahash and the Ammonites (fol. 23v): An archer with a longbow. (Arrows are tucked into the back of his belt.)
  Jonathan warns David: Jonathan holds a longbow and carries three arrows tucked into the back of his belt.
• The Manesse Codex, 1300-1330
  Herr Rubin
  Der von Wildonie
  Kristan von Luppin, eine Thring
  Der Dring
  Von Trostberg
  Heinrich von Tettingen
  Der Kol von Nssen
• The Luttrell Psalter (Brit. Lib. Add. 42130), c. 1325-1335
  A longbow-archer and a crossbow-archer.
  Archers shoot at a target (fol. 147v)
• The Holkham Bible (Brit. Lib. Add. 47680), c. 1327-1335: 6v and 40
• The Bull of Monte Gargano, The lives of the saints (BNF Fr. 185, fol. 259v), second quarter of the 14th century
• Isaac blesses Esau (fol. 114v), who has an interesting belt-case for his bow; and Esau hunting, wearing a quiver on his belt (fol. 184v), Concordantiae caritatis (Stiftsbibliothek Lilienfeld 151), c. 1349-1351; note the belt-case for his bow. Several other illustrations from this manuscript also depict archers, too: the first Rider of the Apocalypse (fol. 36v), a diver escapes underwater (fol. 40v), the vulture devouring its own brain (fol. 97v), a wounded goat eats an herb which pulls the arrow from its wound (fol. 109v), a lion who remembers and retaliates against a man who wounded him (fol. 112v)
• Knife with an ivory archer handle, 1380-1400
• Tacuinum Sanitatis, (BNF Nouvelle acquisition latine 1673), c. 1390-1400: Spelt, fol. 48v (fancy arrow-quiver on belt); Cranes, fol. 70v; Wind, fol. 101 (note simple black quiver worn on belt)
• The French destroy Genoa, Chroniques de France ou de St. Denis (Brit. Lib. Royal 20 C. VII, fol. 19), end of the 14th century
• Siege of Jerusalem, Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 10, fol. 412v), beginning of the 15th century
• Zenobia hunting (fol. 148), De mulierbus claris (BNF Fr. 598, fol. 148), beginning of the 15th century
• Gaston Phoebus' Book of the Hunt (BNF Fr. 616), beginning of the 15th century: several illustrations. Especially notable: a fur-covered quiver hanging from a belt, fols. 11v, 94, 115v, and 118
• Detail from The Siege of Cologne, a fresco at St. Stephan in Obermontani, c. 1400-1410
• Archer (John Gower?) shooting at the world, Vox Clamantis (Brit. Lib. Cotton Tiberius A. IV, fol. 9v), c. 1408; arrows tucked into belt
• The execution of Odoacer, De casibus (BNF Fr. 226, fol. 234), first quarter of the 15th century; arrows carried in a brown (leather) quiver suspended from the waist
• The Death of St Giles from the Garamszentbenedek Altarpiece by Master Thomas de Coloswar, 1427
• Prince Tassilo Rides to Hunting, 1444
• Lamech kills Cain (fol. 16r) and Esau goes hunting (fol. 42r), Weltchronik (ÖNB 2823), 1463; they carry their bolts in large (fur-covered?) pouches that hang on their belts
• French garrisons fight (fol. 14v), assault on Ribodane (fol. 252), and the capture of Ribodane (fol. 281v), Chronique d' Angleterre (Brit. Lib. Royal 14 E. IV), late 15th century
• Esau sells his birthright to Jacob, Biblia Pauperum (ÖNB 3085, fol. 64v), 1475; again carrying his arrows in a fur-covered quiver
• Target shooting, Schachzabelbuch (ÖNB 3049, fol. 168r), 1479
• The Martyrdom of St. Ursula and the Virgins, c. 1480-1490; an interesting detail of a case made to hold a bow and arrows
• A man shooting a crossbow, Wappenbuch (ÖNB 12820, fol. 184r), c. 1484-1486; he carries a large fur-covered belt-pouch, presumably to carry his bolts, as seen above in ÖNB 2823

There myght men see Archers gode, Cast away bothe gowne and hode, The better forto shote The Siege of Calais, ll. 114-116

• Two archers, Liber de Celo et Mundi (Brit. Lib. Sloane 748, fol. 25v), 1486
• St. Sebastian by Vincenzo Foppa, 1489
• A man with a longbow and arrows tucked into his belt, apparently shooting crows in a field, October, The Grimani Breviary, c. 1490-1510
• Archery Festival, 1493
• Martyrdom of the Pilgrims and the Funeral of St Ursula by Vittore Carpaccio, 1493
• Activities of the social classes; a covered alley where men shoot at butts with crossbows, Imaginacion de vraye noblesse (Brit. Lib. Royal 19 C. VIII, fol. 41), 1496
• St. Gilles and the Hind, 1500
• Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, Hours of Bonaparte Ghislieri (Brit. Lib. Yates Thompson 29, fol. 132v), c. 1500; arrow-quivers worn at the belt
• An invitation to join an arms competition, 1501 or later
• The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by Hans Holbein the Elder, 1516
• Archery Festival at St. Gallen, 1527
• A crossbow competition in fols. 11v and 12r of the Hennessy Book of Hours, c. 1530-1540
• The martyrdom of St. Sebastian, The Munich-Montserrat Hours, c. 1535-1540 (note the fancy quiver on the ground)
• The Adoration of the Kings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1564 (note bolts tucked into belt and hat)
• A bowman, Album Amicorum of a German Soldier, (LACMA M.91.71.26), 1595