Powder Horns and Horn Art
Animal horn has always provided people and artists a raw material to create utilitarian objects and objects of art. Today, horn workers (individually known as a horner) create objects made of horn to fit almost every need. In addition, horners apply their artistic imagination to horn object to provide the user and the collector with amazing American art.
Horners, use horn from cows, ox or buffalo to make objects such as powder horns, vessels, combs, jewelry, knife handles, longrifle hardware and more.
The powder horn is a highly recognized object made from horn and is a container for gunpowder. Powder horns, engraved or plain, were remarkably necessary and personal possessions in Colonial America. While engraved horns would continue to be used, they were very common between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.
The tradition of making engraved powder horns, vessels continue and other horn objects continues today.
Powder Horn by Mark Thomas Dayton, Virginia