Indo-Portuguese gunpowder flask. Gujarat, XVII-XVIII centuries.

Indo-Portuguese gunpowder flask. Gujarat, XVII-XVIII centuries.
Carved and applied mother-of-pearl.
Measurements: 15 x 19 x 11 cm.

Exceptional gunpowder flask made of mother-of-pearl, a refined example of the Indo-Portuguese production developed in the region of Gujarat between the 17th and 18th centuries, in the context of the maritime trade between India and the European powers.

The piece takes the natural form of a large spiral shell, the surface of which has been carefully coated with finely cut mother-of-pearl applications and fixed by means of small metal pins. The whole is enriched with floral and geometric motifs arranged in bands, creating a delicate play of volumes and iridescent reflections. The ornamental arrangement combines Indian decorative tradition with European formal sensibility, characteristic of objects produced for Portuguese clients established on the west coast of the subcontinent.

The mother-of-pearl luster gives the piece a remarkable aesthetic quality, enhanced by the technical complexity of the assembly. The stopper, integrated into the structure, responds to the original function as a gunpowder container, an essential element in both military and hunting personal equipment.

Indo-Portuguese mother-of-pearl gunpowder flasks are rare and highly prized for their hybrid character and for their belonging to a key moment in the artistic exchange between Asia and Europe. Comparable pieces are preserved in important public and private collections dedicated to the arts of colonial trade.