Powder flask

ca. 1570
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 375
Exceptional for the design and execution of its ornamentation, this flask belongs to a small group carved by an anonymous French Renaissance artist. The flask occupies a special place in the group, as it is one of only two examples decorated with a biblical subject, and the only one to feature a royal cypher––that of Charles IX of France (1550–1574, reigned from 1560). The flask establishes that the artist was thus working in the ambit of the royal court.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Powder flask
  • Date: ca. 1570
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Antler, metal
  • Dimensions: H. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm); W. 6 in. (15.3 cm.); D. 2 in. (5.1 cm); Wt. 13.5 oz. (383 g)
  • Classification: Firearms Accessories-Flasks & Primers
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Ruddock Foundation for the Arts and Bernice and Jerome Zwanger Gifts, and funds from various donors, by exchange, 2018
  • Object Number: 2018.190a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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