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Source Description
The decoration of this powder flask, which includes a buck, an antelope, a lion, a bird, a boar, an elephant, and a mongoose, attests to a fascination with India’s wildlife. With the exception of the elephant, used as a hunting steed, these animals were regularly hunted in Mughal India. The decoration thus alludes to the object’s function: flasks holding gunpowder were essential firearm accessories in royal hunts. The lavishness of the materials, however, which originally included paint and gilding, and the refinement of its execution far exceed a purely utilitarian function.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
2698
label
Powder Flask
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
8
Source metadata
id
2698
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Powder Flask
description
The decoration of this powder flask, which includes a buck, an antelope, a lion, a bird, a boar, an elephant, and a mongoose, attests to a fascination with India’s wildlife. With the exception of the elephant, used as a hunting steed, these animals were regularly hunted in Mughal India. The decoration thus alludes to the object’s function: flasks holding gunpowder were essential firearm accessories in royal hunts. The lavishness of the materials, however, which originally included paint and gilding, and the refinement of its execution far exceed a purely utilitarian function.
provenance
Lucien Demotte [1906-1934], Paris; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1925; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
date
18th-1st half 19th century (late Mughal)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ivory & Bone
powder flasks
imageCount
8
pageCount
8
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
7
height
22.5
depth
3.4
dimensionsRaw
H: 2 3/4 x W: 8 7/8 x D: 1 5/16 in. (7 x 22.5 x 3.4 cm)
Source extras
cul
Islamic
style
Late Mughal
dynasty
Mughal Dynasty
med
hippopotamus ivory, amber, steel, copper alloy, and silver with traces of paint, resin, and gilding
creator_ids
2191
collection_ids
ISL
ARM
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
d57becc4f4d09133
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
fd9277e567d5d8a9
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
b13e19ddcda90208
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
15bd35fc66b25524
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
1a85942940a3461c
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
6631bd00f44bbeee
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
7
type
photo
mediaId
5b730b1f5d04982d
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
8
type
photo
mediaId
7813ce7d6e909ed9
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no