Germany or Austria, first half of 17th Century / c. 1600–1650
Combined Priming Flask and Wheel-Lock Spanner
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Combined Priming Flask and Wheel-Lock Spanner as arms and armor (Germany or Austria, first half of 17th Century · c. 1600–1650).
Many accessories that were used in hunting were made of the very animals that were to be hunted, this one here was made of horn.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as horn with brass and steel mounts.
The museum's collection notes: Early firearms required many tools and accessories for their proper use and maintenance. This clever design fulfilled a dual purpose as a spanner and priming flask. Small containers like this one would hold fine-grain gunpowder used to set off (or prime) the main charge in the barrel. A spanner would be used to operate a wheel-lock mechanism that enabled a gun to fire. On the gun, the jaws of the lock clamped a piece of flint or pyrites designed to rub against the rough edge of the wheel projecting into the pan. The wheel was revolved by a tightly coiled spring wound by the spanner and released when the gun's trigger was pulled causing sparks
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtCombined Priming Flask and Wheel-Lock SpannerOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.