The relief decoration on the front includes hunting scenes. The engraving on the back shows the coat of arms of the Bavarian nobleman Hans Albrecht von Closen.
Artwork Details
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Title:Powder Flask with Spanner, Primer, and Bullet Compartment
Date:late 16th century
Geography:Augsburg or Nuremberg
Culture:German, Augsburg or Nuremberg
Medium:Bronze, gold
Dimensions:L. 9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm); W. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm); Wt. 1 lb. 1 oz. (481.9 g)
Classification:Firearms Accessories-Powder Horns
Credit Line:Gift of Christian A. Zabriskie, 1936
Object Number:36.149.4
Inscription: Engraved on the back: ·HANNS·ALWERRECHT·VONN·CLOSNN· (the name of the Bavarian nobleman Hans Albrecht von Closen), along with his coat of arms.
Richard Zschille, Großenhain, Saxony, Germany (by 1892–97; The Collection of Armour and Arms and hunting equipments of Herr Richard Zschille of Grossenhain, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, January 25–February 1, 1897, no. 740, sold, for 48 gns., to Harding); [Harding, London, from 1897]; Samuel H. Austin, Philadelphia (until d. 1916, his estate sale, The Samuel H. Austin Collection, American Art Association Anderson Galleries, New York, April 24–28, 1917, sold, for $440, to Harding for Macomber); Frank Gair Macomber, Boston (1917–36; Frank Gair Macomber, Boston (by 1899–1936; his sale, The Frank Gair Macomber Collection, American Art Association, New York, December 10–12, 1936, no. 371, sold, for $200, to Zabriskie); Christian A. Zabriskie, New York (1936; his gift to MMA).
Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," January 15–March 18, 1953, no. 141.
San Francisco. California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 18–June 7, 1953, no. 141.
Pittsburgh. Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute. "Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," October 1953–April 1954, no. 141.
Hagerstown, Md. Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. "Loan Exhibition of Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," February 27–March 31, 1955, no. 133.
Newark. Newark Museum Association. "Loan Exhibition of Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 15–September 15, 1955, no. 133.
Christie, Manson & Woods. Catalogue of the Collection of Armour and Arms and Hunting Equipments of Herr Richard Zschille. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, January 25–February 1, 1897. p. 129, no. 740.
American Art Association. Samuel H. Austin Collection: Ancient Arms and Weapons, Egyptian Antiquities and Oriental and European Curios. New York: American Art Association, April 24–28, 1917. no. 546.
American Art Association. Arms and Armor; Valuable Gothic and Renaissance Tapestries, Paintings by Old Masters; Majolica; Stone Sculptures and Wood Carvings; Furniture; Wrought Iron; Books on Art: Collection of Frank Gair Macomber. Sold by His Order.. New York: American Art Association, December 10–12, 1936. pp. 19, 59, no. 371.
Grancsay, Stephen V. Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1953. p. 34, no. 141, ill.
Grancsay, Stephen V., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. Loan Exhibition of Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hagerstown, Md.: Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, February 27–March 31, 1955. p. 35, no. 133.
Rietstap, Johannes Baptist, and Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Armorial Général. Vol. 1. 3rd ed. ed. Baltimore, 1972. p. 436 (for arms of von Closen zu Haydenburg, Bavaria).
Nickel, Helmut, William Reid, Ian Eaves, Mario Scalini, Claude Gaier, Álvaro Soler Del Campo, Jean-Pierre Reverseau, Jan Piet Pyupe, Donald J. La Rocca, Jeffrey Forgeng, Jonathan Tavares, Dirk H. Breiding, Pierre Terjanian, and Ronald S. Lauder. The Armorer's Art: Essays in Honor of Stuart Pyhrr, edited by Donald J. La Rocca. Woonsocket, Rhode Island: Andrew Mowbray Inc. – Publishers, 2014. p. 144 (footnote 6).
Terjanian, Pierre. "A French Renaissance Powder Flask in the Collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art." In The Armorer's Art: Essays in Honor of Stuart Pyhrr. Woonsocket, Rhode Island: Andrew Mowbray Inc. – Publishers, 2014. p. 144 (footnote 6).
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