Earliest Arquebusier's and Musketeer's Trapezoidal Powder Flasks, ca. 1530-1590

[Matchlock]

A very fine flask, Northern Italy, ca. 1550-60, the wooden body covered with tooled and embossed leather decorated with symmetric Renaissance foliage.
The belt hook and rings for suspension all missing.

Czerny, March 15, 2008.


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[Matchlock]

A very early sample of a trapezoid arquebusier's or musketier's flask, the wooden body covered with white paper; Austria/Bavaria, ca. 1550-60.
Hermann Historica, May 2nd, 2007.

Similar samples preserved in the collection of Schloß Baldern (attached below, together with curved caliverman's flasks of ca. 1600); author's photo, 1985.


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[Matchlock]

There is a whole number of finely made and preserved trapezoid flasks in my collection, the finest of them all Nuremberg, ca. 1590-1600, the wooden body covered with blue velvet, and retaining its original purple woolen tassels (top attachments).
The spring loaded nozzle cap with its long lever is a feature found only on the best quality trapezoid flasks.

Next: a fine Nuremberg flask, from the deliveries to the Graz armory in 1577/8, the iron mounts tinned, the body covered with green velvet; the nozzle retaining its rare original cap attached by a delicate chain, and the four suspension rings retaining their original fine tassels of interwoven green, red, purple and yellow raw silk and wool!

Following a fine matching priming flask, Nuremberg, 1577/8.

And an Austrian flask, made in a Nuremberg workshop, ca. 1560/70, complete with its spring loaded nozzle cap and lever; the body covered with paper painted green, and the iron mounts retaining much of their original minium (red lead) paint (now mostly hidden beneath an 18th c. black lacquer);
the whole preserved in virtually 'untouched' condition throughout.
The colorful impact of this flasks represents the traditional basic colors of the Late Gothic period, red and green.



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[Matchlock]

A bottom view of my Austrian powder flask, retaining an old inventory paper label.


Next an early Nuremberg flask, ca. 1550-60, the woden body covered with leather, and retaining its original nozzle cap and leather suspension string.

Following two small priming flasks, the one on the left ca. 1560-80, the other of early type, ca. 1540-50.

And two more priming flasks, ca. 1560-80.



All author's collection.



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[Matchlock]

A detached top mount of a trapezoid powder flask; of wrought iron, copper soldered, ca. 1580-1600.

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[Matchlock]

A good sample of a trapezoid musketeer's flask, of North Italian type, ca. 1580-1600 (incorrectly dated "1st half 17th c." by the auction house); the cap missing from the nozzle (the raised brim still visible), the horizontal cut-off lever pierced for the attachment chain (missing as well).

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[Matchlock]

A very good trapezoid flask, Nuremberg, ca. 1580, the wooden body covered with black velvet, the obverse mounts pierced wtith heart-shaped ornaments characteristic of the Nuremberg style, the nozzle cap with spring-loaded push lever, and retaining its reverse belt hook;
together with a small and early priming flask of North Italian type, ca. 1550, the top mount with high underside characteristic of earliest trapezoid flasks, the oberverse with a central medallion depicting Christ seated in an architectural landscape.
Sold Christie's.

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