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

[Matchlock]

I post this as most of these flasks, of which many are still around indeed, are commonly dated 'ca. 1600' to '17th c'.

Actually, these instances of period artwork prove that they were in use from at least ca. 1530; I cannot remember any illustrative source picturing a trapezoidal flask after ca. 1600.

We may therefore assume that both their manufacture and employment had generally stopped by the early 17th c.

As bandoliers equipped with ready-to-use powder measures are known to have been in use from at least ca. 1500 until the second half of the 17th c., it seems probable that, in a group of arquebusiers/musketeers, only very few members actually carried an additional large powder flask to provide bandolier refills when needed.


As these samples illustrate, the wooden body of the earliest of these flasks was sometimes covered with interwoven, even maybe embroidered, textiles to match the stock of the accompanying arquebuses which was decorated en suite.
Two of these matchlock arquebuses with velvet-covered stocks, of ca. 1540, are preserved in the Hofburg Museum in Vienna (traditionally just called the 'Wiener Waffensammlung').

The largest number of surviving examples with textile-covered body is preserved in the Graz armory; close examinations proved that their textiles actually were reused Gothic chasubles!

Please note that 16th c. triangular flasks are often depicted to be carried on the back by the arquebusier/musketeer!



Attachments, from top:

- 1529, from a painting by Ruprecht Heller, The Battle of Pavia, which took place in 1525 (2)

- 1554, The Battle of Marciano (2)

- ca. 1550, Jacob Binck (1)

- ca. 1560, Franz Brun (1), very similar to the foregoing

- ca. 1565-70, Stradanus, Medici Court painter (2)

- ca. 1585, Hendrick Goltzius (2)

- ca. 1590, Jacob de Gheyn (1)

- two arquebuses with textile-covered stock (the velvet now mostly rubbed, with only the remaining), ca. 1540, Vienna Waffensammlung (1)



For more on such flasks, please see

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...s+powder+flask

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...s+powder+flask



Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

One more close-up of the Vienna arquebuses; their stocks were originally covered with velvet of which only the backing layer has survived, due to bad rubbing.

Following:

The earlliest known surviving trapezoidal arquebusier's flasks, North Italy, ca. 1530-40, in the Stadtmusem Munich (Munich Arsenal) and author's collection. The way of embossment on the washers of the rings for suspension, the wavy line ornament decoration on the nozzle, the nozzle lid and spring wrought integrally and showing the characteristic wide bow known from springs illustrated by Leonardo da Vinci, and the serpent-shaped horizontal cut-off are features that can be found on the Vienna arquebuses and on other arquebuses of ca. 1530-40. The reincorcing iron mounts on the edges are of comparatively thin iron, attached by many small nails and punched in imitaion of a stitching pattern.
The leather pouch on the obverse was most certainly not designed to contain balls but small accouterments.

For further information and samples please see

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...s+powder+flask


Bottom: two instances of earliest trapezoidal flasks showing their reverse-mounted belt hooks; from paintings on the Conquest of Tunisia by Charles V, 1535, preserved in Coburg and Madrid respectively.

m

[Matchlock]

Textile-covered trapezoidal powder and small priming flasks, ca. 1540-60, showing North Italian stylistic influence; in the Graz arsenal.

The cloth was reused from Gothic chasubles.

Please cf. the illustration by Stradanus posted above which exactly depicts this type of flasks.

The scan at the bottom depicts various types represented in Graz; from left: Nuremberg, from deliveries of 1577-78; the others: cloth-covered, in North Italian style, ca. 1540-60, including a small priming flask.
Please note that the larger flasks all retain their original nozzle cap attached to the horizontal cut-off by a delicate chain; this cap is missing from almost all surviving flasks.
An alternative but more elaborate and expensive way of covering the nozzle was a spring-loaded and lever-acted, laterally mounted cover, which however is very rare to find.

In the foreground: a curved caliverman's flask of bleeched and engraved cowhorn, Nuremberg, dated 1606; the bottom mount missing.

Author's photos.


For caliverman's flasks, ca. 1580-1620, please see:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...liverman+flask

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=bandoliers


m

[Matchlock]

Remarkable samples in Schloss Konopiste, Czechia, the Castle of the d'Este family of Ferrara.

In North Italian style, ca. 1560-80, the wooden bodies painted red and black.
Author's photos.

[Matchlock]

Ca. 1560-80.

The body of some painted red, some decorated with the Maltese Cross and with pierced decorative mounts.

The smaller ones are of course priming flasks.


m

[Matchlock]

A small priming flask, the nozzle with rare spring-loaded cover, ca. 1580.

Schloss Burgk, Thuringia.
Author's photos.

m