A Late 17th Century Highland Scottish Powder Horn

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Price: £2,550

Ref: 42112253

Item Description

A well-formed and nicely engraved late 17th century Highland Scottish powder horn. The patterns present on horns of this type are like other Celtic / Gaelic cultural motifs which appear on contemporary targes, dirk handles, sporrans and plaid brooches associated with “Highland” craft and art of the time. Horns like this were made by horners settled in the Highlands and around the fringes, near markets, and on established drove roads, in a period when firearms were gaining popularity in the Scottish Highlands. Surviving dated horns indicate that the peak period of the best quality manufacture was from the 1660s to circa 1700.

The flask is fashioned from the pointed end of a cow horn which has been heat-softened, pressed into shape then allowed to re-harden. The base plug is made of wood which is pegged into place. A raised moulded rib near the nozzle is pierced for a suspension loop. Originally a second suspension loop was attached to the base plug which is now missing.

The outer side is profusely decorated with panels of typical Celtic / Gaelic fans within lined borders.  The main decorative feature is a roundel carved into the widest part of the horn enhanced with six equally spaced petals or leaves on the inside. To the left and right of the top of the roundel the initials “I M” are present which are most likely those of the original owner. A saltire decorates the topmost part near the suspension loop shoulder underneath which the initials “O D” are cut. The meaning of these is unknown.  Typically, the reverse side is more sparsely decorated with a single simplified roundel with an incomplete more feint one underneath.

Many of these surviving horns show evidence of a long life with engraving from various owners evident in the vacant spaces on the reverse. The reverse of this horn has the initial “L” with a feint reversed “S” alongside.

The date 1745 is engraved on top of the main roundel perhaps as a reference to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. The second feint roundel has the date 1819 in the middle. The significance of this is unknown.

For further examples of Highland powder horns see “The Swords and the Sorrows”, National Trust for Scotland, 1996, pages 73 to 75, and the accompanying article by Jackie Mann.

Overall the horn is in very good condition compared to its surviving contemporaries.  The nozzle has lost its stopper which is not unusual. The overall length, measured from extremity to extremity, is just over 11.25 inches.  The base is just over 3.5 inches across (9 cm) wide.