The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Powder Flask

Powder Flask

c. 1620–50

Did You Know?

Powder flasks could take a variety of forms and the materials of construction varied greatly; many survive because of their allure as fine decorative objects.

Description

Powder flasks are small, portable containers designed to hold gunpowder. From the 1400s to the 1800s, powder flasks were indispensable for charging and priming firearms of all types. Without powder flasks firearms were of little use to their owners. Many highly decorated flasks rank as works of art.
  • -1916
    Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941) Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Catalogue of Arms and Armour. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], 1900. cat. #314 archive.org
    Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mention: p. 156, F37; Reproduced: Plate XXXVI, F37 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. Mention: p. 175, cat. no. 246; Reproduced: p. 146
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. p. 195, cat. no. 256
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
  • {{cite web|title=Powder Flask|url=false|author=|year=c. 1620–50|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.60