The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Powder Flask
c. 1580
Overall: 16.9 x 11.1 cm (6 5/8 x 4 3/8 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1906
Location: 210B Firearms
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. During the 1500s, they were frequently decorated with images of famous historical figures. Here the figures of King David and Bathsheba derive from the Old Testament.- Frank Gair Macomber; Boston; cat. #543
- 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: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: p. 153, F28 archive.org
- Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).The Cleveland Museum of Art (09/10/1998); "Armor Court Reinstallation"
- {{cite web|title=Powder Flask|url=false|author=|year=c. 1580|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1906