Quivers, Arrow-bags, and Arrow Cases

Archers used different methods for holding their arrows, which is reflected in both extant examples of medieval arrow quivers as well as illustrations and artwork of huntsmen and archers.

These illustrations are selected because they show how the medieval archer carried his arrows. I've separated them by type: arrows tucked into a belt, arrow bags, quivers for longbow arrows, and quivers for crossbow bolts.

The Met also has Tibetan/Mongolian quivers; see 2001.65a, b (late 13th-15th century), 2001.37 (15th century), 2003.344a-c (15th-17th century).

See also The Personal Carriage of Arrows from Hastings to the Mary Rose.

ARROWS TUCKED INTO A BELT

• The Maciejowski Bible, 1240s: Saul destroys Nahash and the Ammonites (fol. 23v) and Jonathan warns David
• Jonathan, Bible moralisée (Bodl. 270b, fol. 139v), mid-13th century
• Fols. 59v, 62r, 92v, 93r, 97v, 128r, 153v, 159v, the Smithfield Decretals (Brit. Lib. Royal 10 E IV), c. 1300-1340
• Longbowman and crossbowman, The Luttrell Psalter (Brit. Lib. Add. 42130, fol. 56r), c. 1325-1340
• Archers on fols. 88v and 156r, Romance of Alexander (Bodl. 264), c. 1338-1344
• A deer hunt, Livres de Modus et Ratio (BNF Fr. 12399, fol. 38), 1379
• Archer (John Gower?) shooting at the world, Vox Clamantis (Hunter 59, fol. 6v), c. 1400; arrows tucked into belt
• An archer drawing his bow (note arrows in belt), a book of John Gower’s poetry (Laud Misc. 719, fol. 21r), 15th century
• St. John holding the partridge, Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 369), 1463
• An archer, a book of hours (Canon. Liturg. 283, fol. 71r), third quarter of the 15th century
• Lamech, Speculum humanae salvationis (Douce f. 4, fol. 24r), c. 1460-1470
• The rider on the white horse, Apocalypse (Auct. M 3.15, fol. 13r) c. 1465-1470
• Paris under siege by Joan of Arc, Vigiles de Charles VII (BNF Fr. 5054, fol. 66v), c. 1484
• A man with a longbow and arrows tucked into his belt, apparently shooting crows in a field, October, The Grimani Breviary, c. 1490-1510
• Altarpiece with the legend of St. Ursula by Hans Burgkmair
• The Adoration of the Kings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1564 (note bolts tucked into belt and hat)

ARROW BAGS

See also Archer's Gear: The Arrow Bag, Making a Medieval Arrow Bag, and Making the Medieval Arrow Bag: The Arrow Spacer and The Cloth Bag.

• Leather arrow spacer at the Museum of London, 15th century
• The battle of Maupertuis (BNF Fr. 2643, fol. 207r), c. 1470-1475
• Possibly on the army of Louis IX on fols. 225v and 235r, Passages Oultre Mer (BNF Fr. 5594), c. 1474-1475
• Arrow-spacers from the Mary Rose, 1545: photos here and here.

QUIVERS USED WITH A LONGBOW

Most of the arrow quivers in these examples seems to be attached to a belt or otherwise suspended at the waist or at hip-level.

• Athenian red-figured plate with an Amazon, c. 520-510 B.C.
• Detail from an exterior of a cup with an archer, c. 500 B.C.
• Diana, 1st-2nd century
• The Battle of Hastings (detail) as well as lower border scenes HIC EST WILLEL[MUS] DUX, E[USTA]TIUS, and HIC FRANCI PUGNANT ET CECIDERUNT QUI ERANT CUM HAROLDO in the Bayeux Tapestry
• A unicorn hunt, the Reiner Musterbuch (ÖNB 507, fol. 3r), c. 1200-1220
• Rider on a white horse, Apocalypse (BNF Fr. 403, fol. 7v), c. 1240-1250
• Rider on a white horse, the Morgan Apocalypse (PML M.524, fol. 2r), c. 1255
• A trumpeter, psalter-hours (PML M.183, fol. 107v), c. 1280s
• St. Giles and the doe, the Picture-Book of Madame Marie (BNF NAL 16251, fol. 92), c. 1285-1290
• Kumane kidnaps a girl in a fresco series from the legend of Ladislaus at Velka Lomnica in Slovakia, c. 1300-1310
• Kristan von Luppin, eine Thüring (fol. 226v) in The Manesse Codex (UBH Cod. Pal. germ. 848), 1300-1330
• Nobles at a fountain, Cocharelli Treatise on the Vices (British Library Egerton 3781, verso), c. 1314-1324
• Esau hunting, Concordantiae caritatis (Stiftsbibliothek Lilienfeld 151, fol. 184v), c. 1349-1351
• The west wind, Tacuinum sanitatis (ÖNB series nova 2644, fol. 57v), c. 1370-1400
• The death of Absalom, Historien Bibel (PML M.268, fol. 19r), end of the 14th century
• Personification of Love, Der Wälsche Gast (PML G.54, fol. 8r), c. 1380
• Spelt (fol. 48v) and Wind (fol. 101), Tacuinum Sanitatis, (BNF Nouvelle acquisition latine 1673), c. 1390-1400
• Jacob, Weltchronik (ÖNB 2921, fol. 50v), c. 1397-1398
• Gaston Phoebus’ Book of the Hunt (PML M.1044), c. 1406-1407, fols. 100v, 104r
• Archers in a fresco of the martyrdom of St. Sebastian at St. Nikolaus in Rojen, c. 1400-1420
• The execution of Odoacer, De casibus (BNF Fr. 226, fol. 234), first quarter of the 15th century
• Resurrection of Christ by Jörg Breu the Elder, c. 1525-1535
• Drawing of a bowcase and a quiver of arrows by Pisanello, 1438
• Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, prayerbook of Barbara von Cilly (ÖNB 1767, fol. 270r), 1448
• Detail from The Crucifixion by Conrad Laib, 1449
• Hunt of the musk deer, Livre des simples médecines (BNF Fr. 12321, fol. 153), mid-15th century
• De Sphaera by Cristoforo de Predis, 1450s
• Eros, Epithalamium de nuptiis Petri Comitis et Helisabeth Vicomercatae (PML M.1148, fol. 1r), c. 1450-1466
• Hunt of the musk deer, Livre des simples médecines (BNF Fr. 12319, fol. 217), 3rd quarter of the 15th century
• The martyrdom of St. Sebastian, book of hours (PML M.1067, fol. 6r), c. 1460
• The martyrdom of St. Sebastian, book of hours (PML M.59, fol. 184v), c. 1470
• Martyrdom of St. Sebastian in the Chapel of St. Sebastian at Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée by Giovanni Baleison and Giovanni Canavesio, late 15th century
• Battle between Phebus and the python, Ovid's Metamorphoses (BNF Fr. 137, fol. 8), before 1480
• A putto with a quiver and a bow on a cord over his shoulder, Praeparatio ad missam pontificalem (PML M.279, fol. 1r), c. 1485
• St. Sebastian by Vincenzo Foppa, 1489
• Martyrdom of the Pilgrims and the Funeral of St Ursula by Vittore Carpaccio, 1493
• Archers at the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, Hours of Bonaparte Ghislieri (Brit. Lib. Yates Thompson 29, fol. 132v), c. 1500
• 16th century quiver
• 16th century quiver
• A wild man aiming at a sleeping stag, the Geese Book (PML M.905, vol. I, fol. 205r), 1507
• Hercules by Marcantonio, c. 1510-1527
• Samson killing the lion by Hans Burgkmair, 1515
• Reclining Diana by Lucas Cranach the Elder, c. 1515
• The archers in the Martyrdom of St. Ursula and her Virgins from the altarpiece at the Church of St. Margaret in Mlynica in Slovakia, c. 1515-1520
• An archer by Lucantonio degli Uberti, c. 1520
• Roman de la Rose (PML M.948), c. 1525, the God of Love on fols. 17v, 21r, 23r, 23v, 24r, 31r, 104r
• Drawings of an archer from the front and an archer from the back by Perugin
• Apollo and Diana by Lucas Cranach the Elder, c. 1526
• The Nymph at the Fountain by Lucas Cranach the Elder, c. 1530-1534
• Bahram Gur pins the coupling onagers, Shahnama (Met 1970.301.62), c. 1530-1535
• Apollo slays the python, Ovid's Metamorphoses (Douce 117, fol. 26r), after 1531
• The martyrdom of St. Sebastian, the Munich-Montserrat Hours (Getty 3, leaf 2v), c. 1535-1540
• The Nymph of the Spring by Lucas Cranach the Elder, after 1537
• Diana the Huntress by Giampietrino
• A man in the background of Isaiah's prophecy to Ahaz (PML M.69, fol. 5r), 1546
• Bow-case and arrow-quiver, made in Turkey but probably a diplomatic gift to a European, c. 1550; see the 16th century section of the masterworks page (KHM HJRK_C_5a and HJRK_C_5)
• Diana the Huntress, c. 1550
• Four men pierce the body of a youth, Job with the catena of Olympiodorus (Laud Gr. 86, p. 418), mid-16th century
• Arrow-case, made in Antwerp in 1564 (the style seems similar to the one in this golden relief of Sampson and Delilah, c. 1555-1565)
• A Turkish archer by Melchior Lorck, 1575
• Three Turks by Melchior Lorch
• A Turcoman archer, end of the 16th century
• Quivers and hunting horns and bows, quivers and a spear by Wenceslaus Hollar
• A 17th century arrow-case made in Antwerp

QUIVERS USED WITH A CROSSBOW

See also Late Gothic Crossbows and Accouterments, How I made a Quiver for Crossbow Bolts, and Crossbow Quiver.

• Der Kol von Nüssen (fol. 396r) in The Manesse Codex (UBH Cod. Pal. germ. 848), 1300-1330
• A lady with a crossbow, the Smithfield Decretals (Brit. Lib. Royal 10 E IV, fol. 43v), c. 1300-1340
• Archers on fols. 51v, 88v, 88v, 95v, Romance of Alexander (Bodl. 264), c. 1338-1344
• Gaston Phoebus’ Book of the Hunt (BNF Fr. 616), beginning of the 15th century, fols. 11v, 94, 115v, and 118
• A deer hunt with camouflage, Gaston Phoebus' Book of the Hunt (Musée Condé 367, fol. 83r), 15th century
• Gaston Phoebus’ Book of the Hunt (PML M.1044), c. 1406-1407, fols. 82v, 83v, 100v, 103v, 104r, 105r, 105v
• Detail from The Siege of Cologne, a fresco at St. Stephan in Obermontani, c. 1400-1410
• Quiver with eleven crossbow bolts (Met 29.158.646a-l), 15th century German
• An archer, illustrated Bible (ÖNB 1175, fol. 434v), c. 1432-1435
• Interesting border around St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, The Hours of Catherine of Cleves (PML M.917, fol. 253), c. 1440
• Prince Tassilo Rides to Hunting, 1444
• The Thracian king dies before Achilles, the Trojan War (ÖNB 2773, fol. 170r), c. 1445-1450
• Lamech kills Cain (fol. 16r) and Esau goes hunting (fol. 42r), Weltchronik (ÖNB 2823), 1463
• Jupiter and His Children, the Wolfegg Housebook, 1475-1485
• 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
• A sketched crossbowman takes aim at birds inhabiting an illuminated inital, Kuttenberger Kantionale (ÖNB Mus. Hs. 15501, fol. 48v), 1490
• A crossbow and quiver, c. 1490-1500
• Quiver for crossbow bolts (Higgins Armory Museum 2006.05.1), Austria, late 15th century or early 16th century
• Quiver for bolts, 1490-1525, from Arms and Armor of Knights and Landsknechts in the Netherlands Army Museum
• Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, fresco by Simon von Taisten, 1503
• Quiver for Crossbow Bolts (ArtIC 1982.3089), c. 1500, possibly 16th century
• The Shooting of the Bull on Mount Gargano, c. 1510-1520
• A 17th century box of crossbow-bolts