Bányai József: A vadászat tárgyi eszközei - A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum tárgykatalógusai 2. (Budapest, 2010)

Hunting exhibition in the Royal Hungarian Museum of Agriculture, 1911

no falconry-related objects, though in the early 20th century there was an attempt to acquire such items.

Powder horns and flasks

In 1330 Berthold Schwarz, a monk in Freiburg, invented gunpowder by mixing sulphur, charcoal and salpetre in the right proportion. Soon the first primitive and clumsy shotguns appeared. As a result of the mechanical improvement of firearms, by the 16th century such weapons had appeared in hunting as well. An indispensable part of the equipment of a hunter with firearms was the powder flask, a container from which the necessary amount of gunpowder could be poured into the muzzle. Smaller but similar sized powder horns were also parts of the equipment. Hunting horns contained finer gunpowder, which was used to powder the pan of the gun.21 Very often these containers were turned of ivory, with hunting scenes carved on their surfaces, but flasks made of nobler wood or tortoiseshell framed with gilt bronze are also known. Flasks were worn across the shoulders, behind the right hip. In Italy flasks with various sizes, pressed from leather, started to appear in the second half of the 15th century. At the same time in the Low Countries a flask type, in the shape of a flattened ox-horn, also appeared and was referred to as ‘powder horn’. This version was still widely used in the 19th century. Our collection owns 34 powder flasks or horns, most of them from the 19th century. A unique item is a horn which includes an in-built spanner, the type that was used for winding up wheel-lock guns. It was made between the late 16th and the early 17th centuries. The shape of powder horns generally mirrored the changes in the shape of powder flasks. Their use began after the invention of firearms and lasted until the appearance of breech-loading weapons (mid-19th century). A separate type is the powder flask made of antlers.22 Their spread in the Carpathian Basin can be dated to the early 18th century. Such containers were used primarily in areas rich in deer (Máramaros, Bihar, Hont etc.). The name of the maker or owner was frequently carved on them, often with a date. Their surface was decorated with

carvings of circular or geometric forms, figures, hunting scenes, humans or animals. A centrally located sun was a typical feature, which bore a cultic significance. The most beautifully decorated containers are from Transylvania, where they were worn on strings attached to a metal ring.

Cartridge satchels, shot containers, cartridge belts

Lead-shot used on hunts was unnumbered until the late 19th century, but named after the particular game it was used against, so there were hare, mallard, grouse and snipe shots. Coarse shots were used on wolves, bustards, wild geese or eagles. Shots were often home-made, while the finest factory-produced shots were made in Britain. Shots were carried to the hunt in a leather bag, worn across the shoulder on a thin band. With the spread of breech-loading guns shots were now contained in the cartridge, and shot containers or pouches lost their importance. Paper-cased cartridges were stored in belts and satchels. These were generally made of calfskin or linen, able to contain 16 to 24 cartridges, and remain in use to this day.

Badger sacks, hunting satchels, hunting bags

Hunting bags were an important part of the hunters’ equipment for centuries. From the Middle Ages it had also become a fashion item. Its shape, wide at the bottom and drawn together at the neck with a string, remained unchanged until the 17th century. From the 18th century it was transformed into a rectangular shape, made of calf, deer, cattle or pig skin, for the storage of cartridges, papers and food. It was worn on a strap across the shoulder. The old-type satchel was so large that there was enough room for the gun itself in wet weather. Badger sacks were used to carry the killed badger or hare. From the 19th century hunting bags became shorter, with a typical length of 20-30 cms. A copper ring was attached to the strap, with a hook on which smaller game birds like quail or pheasants could be transported.

Bugles, call whistles, hound whistles

Horns were important instruments of hunters. There were three types: horns, hunting horns and bugles. Horns as instruments were originally made from the horns of bulls, oxen or cows, and later from copper sheets. A mouthpiece was attached to the horn’s thinner end, while its bell was often covered with a copper appendage so that the instrument would give a clearer and louder sound. Such horns were used to call hounds back. Hunting horns were round instruments made of brass which were typically used on larger hunts to give signals. Thus, participants could communicate with each other - using previously determined signals - from larger distances. When using call whistles, hunters imitated the sounds of a particular game, cajoling deer, foxes, wood grouse, hazel grouse etc. to their ambush. Hound whistles were usually made of wood, bone,

21 Temesváry, Ferenc, Vadászfegyverek, Budapest, 1992, p. 27.

22 ibid., p. 27.

16