Witchcraft - Carved Powder Flask - Sculpted Gourd - Protection Ritual - Folk Art

France, Late 18th Century - Early 19th Century
Auvergne – Haute-Loire

Some objects seem easily understood at first glance, while others resist, carrying a memory that time has nearly erased—but not entirely. This sculpted gourd belongs to the latter category. A protective object, a trace of a forgotten ritual, or simply a powder flask imbued with magical intentions, it reflects a folk tradition where mysticism and utility intertwine.

Its surface, carved with a helmeted soldier, a man smoking a pipe, a coat of arms, vegetal motifs, a rooster, and above all, an elephant, suggests a hybrid imagination, blending rural Auvergne influences with distant inspirations. A name, Gaspard, is inscribed, the last tangible trace of the person who once held it.

A vessel filled with mystery

Inside, two crumpled handwritten papers were discovered. This detail is significant: in folk magic, wrinkled papers enclosed a name, a prayer, or an invocation, concealed to preserve their power. Some words remain decipherable, silent echoes of a lost ritual.

A protective ritual? A hunting tradition?

Two hypotheses emerge:

1️⃣ A protective object
In Auvergne and the Massif Central, it was common to seal written texts within protective objects: carved boxes, shepherds’ reliquaries, talismans hidden in wooden beams. This tradition closely parallels Yoruba rites from Benin and Nigeria, where gourds were sacred vessels, enclosing prayers and magical formulas. Could a man from Auvergne, having traveled abroad, have sealed a wish, a protection, or a secret within this sculpted gourd?

2️⃣ A “charmed” powder flask for hunting
In the 18th century, some hunters used written or spoken charms to enhance gunpowder, bless bullets, or ensure a successful hunt. These practices, blending superstition and Catholic faith, were seen as the positive counterpart to witchcraft. The presence of hidden papers inside this gourd could correspond to these popular hunting rituals.

Whatever its original purpose, this object captivates with its hybrid nature, blending folk art, ancient beliefs, and foreign influences.

Dimensions
• Height: 12 cm

Shipping
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Consulted texts
• Jean-Marc Moriceau, Les Fermiers de l’Île-de-France, Fayard, 1994
• Pierre Saintyves, Les reliques et les images légendaires, Mercure de France, 1912
• Bulletin de la Société de Mythologie Française, 1883 (Rites et folk beliefs of the Massif Central)

Acknowledgments

A special thanks to Fred McPharty, founder of Sesheta-Publications, a publishing house specializing in rare books on esotericism, alchemy, and occult traditions, for his invaluable guidance in these investigations.
Gratitude also to Patrice Rey, founder of the Musée des Croyances Populaires (Le Château, 43150 Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille, France), for his insightful advice and expertise on rural magical traditions.

A fragment of life frozen in time. The story of a forgotten man, reborn before our eyes.