An Early Plains German Silver Canteen With Rocker Engraving

Plains

Circa 1870 | German Silver, Antler, Hide | Item 2283

This is a rare and early German silver canteen. There is a scene on one side showing a shield hanging on a spear driven into the ground. The shield has feathers that are all blowing to the left. The background is the horizon of low lying hills. Foreground is the skull of a buffalo sitting in the grass, and the grass continues to the left edge. All of this design is done with rocker engraving – very fine punches into the German silver to make the scene. The top, stop is well aged antler and is attached to the canteen with hide. At the loop for attachment is one, blue glass pony bead. The opposite side of the canteen is plain with no decoration. The black seen on the edge and at the stem is lead solder. The conservative date is 1870, but it could be older.