Powder flask

Ivory gunpowder flasks were popular luxury items in early modern South Asia (1400–1830). Meant to be used during hunting, a favorite pastime of the elite, these flasks were often carved with intertwining animals. Both ends terminate in leaping antelope heads, one showing a cheetah chasing a motley group of rabbits and antelopes (in some South Asian courts, cheetahs were raised in captivity and trained to hunt). The body of the flask depicts a cheetah and two hounds pursuing fish, birds, dogs, deer, and rabbits, with small touches of paint highlighting the animals’ eyes. Composite animals and scenes of predators pursuing prey were common subjects in painting, textiles, and decorative arts of the time.