A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Thursday 26 July 2012

Belt Pouch & Gourd Water Bottle 1730.

 Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686–1755) 1730.#1
Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686–1755) 1730.#2

6 comments:

Cincinnatus said...

Oudry concentrated on hunt scenes during the height of his career according to his bio at the Getty museum. Could this have been standard gear for the French huntsman/outdoorsman? The mantle with silver shell devices looks more suited to the pre-renaissance era, though. Interesting!

Cincinnatus said...

Oudry was a French painter, who concentrated on hunts, landscapes, etc. Introduced at court and the Bourbons were avid huntsmen. I wonder if this is standard "huntsman/outdoorsman" gear of Bourbon France? Great find!

Keith said...

I would give a lot for you to be right Cincinnatus, but this is a painting of someone in particular, can't remember name, dressed as a Pilgrim. It does however help confirm the use of these items in the 18th century.

Sara Seydak said...

It's interesting to read your discussion about that item, when in Portugal the calabash of which the water bottle comes from grows naturaly and has been used in cookery even before the Middle Ages and, of course, gourds made from the dried vegetable.
I guess for some cutlures/countries one has to make an effort to find historical evidence, while for others it is as obvious as the sun rising every morning. :)
The little I know about the manufacture of these gourds is that the calabash is dried for at least 2 years untill the intirior disapears completely and the hard shell remains. In my childhood I could see them drying in the summer sun on the roofs of village houses, but unfortunatly not anymore today.I have 2 that I bought and keep hanging on my sunny balcony. It's very important that they stay dry when not used.

Sara Seydak said...

Forgott to say, the image depicts a pilgrim of St. James because of the scallop shells he's wearing. :)

Keith said...

Thank you Sara, I did not know these gourds were edible. I love to hear about this sort of thing, drying them on the roofs. It would be great I think to live in a village where all the old skills are still carried on & one could see things like the gourds on the roofs.
Appreciated, regards, Keith.