Austrian Hapsburg Carved Hippopotamus Tooth Powder Flask
An Austrian Hapsburg Carved Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius) Tooth Powder Flask Decorated with a Stag Hunting Scene and to the Reverse with a Noble Coat of Arms and Oval Portrait Medallion the Wild Boars Head Finial with a ringed plug
First Half of 19th Century
Size: 25cm wide, 4.5cm dia. (approx) – 9¾ ins wide, 1¾ ins dia. (approx)
First Half of 19th Century
Size: 25cm wide, 4.5cm dia. (approx) – 9¾ ins wide, 1¾ ins dia. (approx)
Powder flasks originated as a case in which to carry gunpowder used as the charge for muzzle loading guns. They became aesthetic objects in their own right as well as a sign of rank. Ornate powder flasks such as this probably never actually functioned as containers for gunpowder, but were worn to ornament fashionable hunting dress.
Austrian Hapsburg Carved Hippopotamus Tooth Powder Flask
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