Powder Horn for ID and Comment

[colin henshaw]

Nice piece. I vote for from the East Africa region somewhere. That faceted form reminds a bit of this Malawi ? powder horn I posted a while back. The brass part is a little reminiscent of the finials to some Afar knife sheaths. The brass tacks are pretty widespread in Africa.

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by colin henshaw

Nice piece. I vote for from the East Africa region somewhere. That faceted form reminds a bit of this Malawi ? powder horn I posted a while back. The brass part is a little reminiscent of the finials to some Afar knife sheaths. The brass tacks are pretty widespread in Africa.

Thanks Colin. I see similarities in the horn you show, especially the faceted shape of the "spout". Is the faceted part on yours made of wood, or is it heavily tarnished brass?
Stu

[colin henshaw]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Thanks Colin. I see similarities in the horn you show, especially the faceted shape of the "spout". Is the faceted part on yours made of wood, or is it heavily tarnished brass?
Stu

Its made of horn, with a dark patina, probably from handling.

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by colin henshaw

Its made of horn, with a dark patina, probably from handling.

Thank you. Very nice flask you have by the way. I assume the "pockets" on the belt are for storing ball?

Stu

[motan]

Hi Stu,
Is the hole in the copper spout round and clean, like a gun barrel?
Is it possible that you could open and close the powder flow by turning the copper spout?
I agree with Rick that the copper spout looks like a later addition, because the spout behind the copper looks normal and functional and was probably closed with a cap, originally. The copper spout was added perhaps as a decorative element, but it has been used.
As for the origin, copper studs of this type were used in West Africa and the Syrian desert too and the decoration of the copper spout looks faintly African/Saharan, but is not really a clear indication.
So, it is all about finding a similar example with known origin.

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by motan

Hi Stu,
Is the hole in the copper spout round and clean, like a gun barrel?
Is it possible that you could open and close the powder flow by turning the copper spout?
I agree with Rick that the copper spout looks like a later addition, because the spout behind the copper looks normal and functional and was probably closed with a cap, originally. The copper spout was added perhaps as a decorative element, but it has been used.
As for the origin, copper studs of this type were used in West Africa and the Syrian desert too and the decoration of the copper spout looks faintly African/Saharan, but is not really a clear indication.
So, it is all about finding a similar example with known origin.

Thanks for the reply Eytan. The hole in the brass spout is round as in a gun muzzle, but there is no open/close facility, and as has been suggested, the brass could well have been added later.
Stu

[colin henshaw]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Thank you. Very nice flask you have by the way. I assume the "pockets" on the belt are for storing ball?

Stu

Thanks Stu. Yes, the hide pockets/pouches must have been for the ammunition I suppose; perhaps also for flints and/or fibre match etc ? The end of the faceted horn part would originally have had a brass/iron collar, now missing. I always find these cross-cultural African/Islamic items of much interest.

Colin