German, Swabian, Gmünd, 17th century / c. 1680
Powder Flask
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Powder Flask as arms and armor (German, Swabian, Gmünd, 17th century · c. 1680).
Johann Michael Maucher was the most famous member of a Schwabian family of ivory, wood, and amber carvers.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as boxwood with design of stag and hounds carved in high relief; steel funnel, mounts, springcatch and credits Johann Michael Maucher (German, 1645–1701).
The museum's collection notes: 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.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPowder FlaskOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.