Cleveland Museum of Art

Powder Flask

Date

c. 1620–50

Medium

walnut inlaid with ivory decoration; turned steel funnel with spring cap

Culture

Germany

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. 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.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.