Antique Gourd Vessel.. Held Wine or Spirits Neat

This very unusual Antique Gourd Vessel is not only beautiful but served a purpose for holding liquids such as wine or spirits! The gourd itself has such a pleasing primitive look while the ridges it possess add oodles of unique character. It is a very large piece and would be the focal point in any room it is place in! The maker used a piece of leather to cover the top and hand stitched it up also using tiny strips of the same material as referenced in image 5. There is a large woven area that wraps around the top of the gourd that was hand stitched directly into the hard shell as shown in image 3. A wonderful piece of wood shaped like a "V" acts as the stopper and has incredible patina almost like you would find in a piece of antique wooden furniture. The leather handle along with the leather top that secures the stopper is somewhat fragile in certain areas as this piece was originally made to hang. To remedy this problem, Harry made a custom wooden base that accompanies this gourd to