Horn, Powder, D25.1458

Length of curved cow(?) horn (shaped like a crescent) covered in leather - with exception of a small middle section. Blunt end of object appears to be wood, with a hole in the centre - like the mouthpiece of a musical? instrument - or for receiving another object? From the wooden tip on back for nearly half the length of the object is completely encased in leather. Roughly equally spaced to the middle end of the leather covered portion of the horn are 3 ridges, each running the full circumference of the horn. The leather covering of this section appears to be of one piece, roughly stitched along its full length with some kind of light coloured plant(?) fibre/cord. At several points along this stitching are tears or holes which suggest that underneath is older covering of leather. The lower third (toward the mouthpiece end) is stained/dyed red, the next third is black, and the last third is again red. This last third has 'woven' around it - actually woven through the leather - around the full circumference 5 parallel rows of light coloured plant (bamboo?) fibre. The other end of the object is somewhat shaped like a cone ending in a rounded point. From this rounded point back to within approx. 30mm of the where the first piece of leather covering ends is also completed covered with a single piece of leather, again the ends are stitched together its full length. A section of bare light yellow brown horn appears between the two sections of leather - near the middle of the horn. This last piece of leather has two ridges beneath the covering - one at the opposite end from its point and the other approx. a third down its length. Again 5 narrow white strips of plant fibre (bamboo?) run parallel being woven the circumference of the horn. A knot of leather is to be found near the middle ridge of each of the two leather coverings - on the inside curve of the object - possibly as the end attachments for a length of carrying cord? The overall appearance is of fairly well crafted leatherwork over a piece of wood and animal horn. The suggestion of an older covering of leather underneath the obvious outer layer might suggest an object of some value beyond that of tourist Art'.

Length of object along outside curve = approx.580 mm. Diameter of horn at midpoint of exposed centre portion of horn = approx. 72.5mm. Length of exposed centre section of horn along outside curve - between two sections of leather = approx. 42.6mm.

Hausa(?) The document "Africa Collection File" by "Sarah Brodie" says "ASANTE?" "I. de Beer [Hausa leatherwork] [cf.D61.177;*E57.38]" Sub-Sahara, West Africa, (Nigeria/Ghana?) Leather work of this type is frequently found among subSaharan groups - particularly Hausa of West Africa (northern Nigeria, Ghana). Cow(?) horn, leather, plant fibre (bamboo?), wood.

Likely a container. Likely a gunpowder horn. There is an appearance of somewhat extended use, i.e. patina - which might suggest something other than tourist art. SEE: "Britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.sapx&parid=1searchtext=sling&fromadbc=ad&numpages=10" Item "gunpowder-horn(?)" "Found/acquired: Ghana" "Hausa(?)" There are 3 horns in the British Museum site: numbers AN738012001, AN738019001, and AN173082001. Also refers to "Sierra Leone" and cultural group "Maninka(?)".

Length of curved cow(?) horn (shaped like a crescent) covered in leather - with exception of a small middle section. Blunt end of object appears to be wood, with a hole in the centre - like the mouthpiece of a musical? instrument - or for receiving another object? From the wooden tip on back for nearly half the length of the object is completely encased in leather. Roughly equally spaced to the middle end of the leather covered portion of the horn are 3 ridges, each running the full circumference of the horn. The leather covering of this section appears to be of one piece, roughly stitched along its full length with some kind of light coloured plant(?) fibre/cord. At several points along this stitching are tears or holes which suggest that underneath is older covering of leather. The lower third (toward the mouthpiece end) is stained/dyed red, the next third is black, and the last third is again red. This last third has 'woven' around it - actually woven through the leather - around the full circumference 5 parallel rows of light coloured plant (bamboo?) fibre. The other end of the object is somewhat shaped like a cone ending in a rounded point. From this rounded point back to within approx. 30mm of the where the first piece of leather covering ends is also completed covered with a single piece of leather, again the ends are stitched together its full length. A section of bare light yellow brown horn appears between the two sections of leather - near the middle of the horn. This last piece of leather has two ridges beneath the covering - one at the opposite end from its point and the other approx. a third down its length. Again 5 narrow white strips of plant fibre (bamboo?) run parallel being woven the circumference of the horn. A knot of leather is to be found near the middle ridge of each of the two leather coverings - on the inside curve of the object - possibly as the end attachments for a length of carrying cord? The overall appearance is of fairly well crafted leatherwork over a piece of wood and animal horn. The suggestion of an older covering of leather underneath the obvious outer layer might suggest an object of some value beyond that of tourist Art'.

Length of object along outside curve = approx.580 mm. Diameter of horn at midpoint of exposed centre portion of horn = approx. 72.5mm. Length of exposed centre section of horn along outside curve - between two sections of leather = approx. 42.6mm. —Joel A Vanderburg