Ca. 19th century AD. A gourd-shaped vessel with a squat, bulbous lower body and a curvaceous stem rising from the top. The body of the vessel, apart from the top part of the stem, is adorned with dense decoration of animal and human figures among vegetal and geometric patterns. The gourd gun powder vessel is a container made from a gourd, which was dried and hardened before being filled with gunpowder. The gourd was selected as a container for gunpowder because it was light, durable, and water-resistant. The dried gourd was carved and shaped to create a hollow space inside, which was then filled with gunpowder. A small opening was left in the top of the gourd to allow for the insertion of a fuse, which would be lit to ignite the gunpowder.Size: L:230mm / W:170mm ; 280gProvenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly in a collection of A. Kotlar, since the 1970s.