AN 18TH CENTURY LEATHER BOMBARD the cylindrical body with applied border to bold interwoven handles, applied crest to the body of a standing or leaping lion, the folded rim with spout (20cm high) Provenance: Property from Kilmany House, Fife Footnote: Note: This is the 'model' for the previous silver lot. Leather drinking and pouring vessels have been in use for centuries, but the more common examples seen are from the 16th century to the 19th century being overtaken then by pewter. Silver mounts were not unusual on blackjacks, often with the owner's initials or if high enough standing his crest or armorials. This bombard is unusual in being twin handled and probably for communal use to be passed round a group of friends or members of a family, clan or club and with an applied crest which we believe to be a demi-lion rampant. The original medieval bombards were based on the shape of an explosive device called a petard and used in the storming of a castle, thus bombing it. The very rotund shape was packed with any old item of metal and gunpowder and was carried by a man who laid it at the foot of the castle gate. Obviously he retreated as quickly as possible but on many occasions was blown up by the petard, leading to the expression “hoisted by his own petard”. Over many years the petards became known as bombs because they were used to “Bomb” castles and from which the army rank of Bombardier originates. It is from this source that the name of bombard was finally given to leather pouring jugs of a similar shape. The shape of pouring bombards was based on the old bombard gun barrel which was very bulbous and not truly cylindrical. The bulbous shape was to allow room for an expanding explosion, which a truly cylindrical shape would not create. The cylindrical shape to this example possibly indicates a later bombard. The method of hardening leather is called “Jacking”, hence the vessel name. Jacking caused the leather to turn black, hence “Black Jack”. Our thanks to Stephen Roberts of Hidebound Ltd. for his comments