Antique Powder Flask--has anyone seen one like this?

[Carl Dumke]

Folks,
Picked up this powder flask at a local antique mall.  It is about 7" long.  The spout is carved and looks like a fish mouth (my wife said it looks like a frog) with bone/ivory eyes.  The base is horn covered wood and is attached with bone/ivory pegs .  The base is a heat-shaped crescent.  Great patina.  Bottom is a name P. Wib***rg, 1811 or 1841 (hard to read).  I have never come across a flask like this and was hoping someone could shed some light.  Thanks!

[halfstock]

Very well may have been a salt horn.

[Tim Crosby]

  There is one similar to it in The Hartley Horn Drawings book, page 43. It has the initials I. G. W. on it.
A thought; The curve in the body looks like a piece of Goat horn??


     Tim C.

[mr. no gold]

I have a larger, powder horn made much like this and I was told that they are Scottish in origin. Mine too has similar spout carving with inlaid eyes, and a flat end cap, also made of horn. Mine is made of a gray colored cow horn and has seen hard use. Yours is very nice and thank you for showing it. In my opinion, it is a great find.
Dick

[JBJ]

Rice shows a flat "fish mouth" horn in his book - "Guns and Gunmaking Tools of Appalachia" (page 82). However, no eyes that I can see.

J.B.

[PPatch]

That is just beautiful! My vote would be a fish, and a Pike at that. Plenty of Pike in Scotland. Great find!

dp

[Carl Dumke]

I have a larger, powder horn made much like this and I was told that they are Scottish in origin. Mine too has similar spout carving with inlaid eyes, and a flat end cap, also made of horn. Mine is made of a gray colored cow horn and has seen hard use. Yours is very nice and thank you for showing it. In my opinion, it is a great find.
Dick

Can you post a pic?  Thanks!

[mr. no gold]

Glad to, Carl. Give me a chance to find it in my things and I will post photos of it. May be a few days as I have out of town relates for a while.
Dick 

[Carl Dumke]

Folks,
Talked to some more knowlegable folks than I and it turns out to be a scandanavian horn--saw a few very similar examples on the web the other night--all attributed to that origin.  Sometimes, there are still some mystery surrounding this craft!