Gunpowder Bottle

Roughly heart-shaped bottle with cap. Made of burl maple. The bottle is handmade, althought the cap was probably turned on a lathe. There are two carved animal (?) heads at the top (each on one side) with holes through the mouths for holding the strap. There is a powder measure inside the lid. The measure was used with a .70 calibre gun- a type of gun used by the colonial militia prior to 1750. The powder measure has been stuffed with 4 wads of Chinese rice paper (one piece with Chinese characters) to shorten the measure so it is suitable for use in hunting small game. This fact, plus the carvings on the bottle, would imply that it was used by an Indian rather than a white man. Cultural identification by John Witthoft. An unusual specimen.