Powder Horn
Unknown Artist
1762
Medium
Horn (cow), brass, pigment
Dimensions
L. 11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm); Diam. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm); Wt. 9.1 oz. (258 g)
Classification
Firearms Accessories-Powder Horns
Culture
Colonial American, St. Augustine, Florida
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Collection of J. H. Grenville Gilbert, of Ware, Massachusetts, Gift of Mrs. Gilbert, 1937
Accession Number
37.131.26
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 18th-century colonial life with this remarkable *Powder Horn* from 1762, crafted in St. Augustine, Florida—a vibrant hub of Colonial American culture amid Spanish and British colonial tensions. During this era, just before Britain's brief control of Florida in 1763, frontiersmen and soldiers relied on such utilitarian objects to store and dispense black powder for muzzle-loading firearms. This horn, measuring 11¾ inches long, exemplifies the resourcefulness of early American settlers, transforming a simple cow horn into an essential tool for hunting, defense, and surviva...