Indian Powder Priming Flask

Polychrome Zoomorphic Wooden Powder Flask

This polychromed wood powder flask is carved in the round in the form of a makara and a hamsa. The mouth of the makara has a double makara head which serves as the mouth of the flask in which sits a yellow stopper. The hamsa’s head and feet rest against the makara’s underbelly

Almost certainly from Rajasthan, India’s querulous desert state, the styling of the

makara head seems based on eighteenth century cannons in Rajasthan, most particularly on examples at Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur.