Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Art DeCamp Rifle with Calvin Tanner Hunting Pouch and Art DeCamp Powder Horn

The rifle is patterned from the work of Jacob Sell with all work by me. It has a 42" long .45 caliber swamped Getz barrel and the rifle measures 57-3/4" long overall. The lock was built by me from a large Siler kit and has several modifications to its appearance. The patchbox was formed from sheet brass with all engraving and carving following ideas from Jacob Sell's work. The powder horn is a Southeast PA screw-tip that I made and the hunting bag is bark tanned pigskin by Cal Tanner. I took this combination for its first ever "walk-in-the-woods" yesterday on a beautiful and unseasonably warm day. It is PA primitive muzzle loading deer season and this set and I had a great time in the woods.





Copy and photos supplied by Art DeCamp.

Knives by Ian Pratt

Photo by Maryellen Pratt.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Original 18th Century Hunting Sword with Sheath by Manfred Schmitz

At the last gun show here in Germany I found a nice orignal 18th century hunting sword, German made, but without a sheath. So I made a new one for the hunting sword including the brass mountings









Copy and photos supplied by Contemporary Makers' European Correspondent, Manfred Schmitz.

Brooch by Tom Curran

Wrought of steel, with engraving based on 16th Century Germanic art, this warrior's brooch holds my sweetheart's cloak fast against the ravages of winter....and it keeps her heart warm.

Copy and photo supplied by Tom Curran.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Redware by Erin Kettenburg

Photo by Robert Weil.

Woman's Jacket ca. 1760

Woman’s Jacket (caraco)

Europe, circa 1760, altered circa 1780
Costumes; principal attire (upper body)
Silk plain weave with supplementary warp patterning
Jacket center back length: 19 in. (48.26 cm)






Copy and photos supplied by The Los Angeles County Museum of Art 

Around the Web


Michael Galban's Facebook page showcased this portrait from Martyn Engell Antiques.

Rare glass picture of either Cumnacatouge or Ostenaco both Cherokee Chiefs, circa 1762
Cumnacatouge (Stalking Turkey) and Ostenaco were Cherokee Chiefs who visited london in 1762 to meet with George III 

Original stained pearwood frame, 7⅛" by 6⅜" overall
Some lifting to the paint
£980 US$1600



Saturday, December 28, 2013

Squirrel Rifle Hunting Pouch and Powder Horn by Jeff Bibb

Small Southern Appalachian pouch and horn. 7” wide by 5” deep, not lined. Small inside hanging ball pocket. ¾” strap with hand forged buckle adjustment. Small powder horn with American Chestnut base plug.

Copy and photo supplied by Jeff Bibb.

French and Indian War Powder Horn from Cowan's Auction

16" length, 3.5" diameter wood plug with metal carrying ring. Rare engraved map horn of Pennsylvania depicting the sequential forts and way points on the trail from Philadelphia to remote Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh) at the strategic Forks of the Ohio. The track departing from the frontier post of Carlisle is the path of the famed "Forbes Road" built by an army of 5,000 British Regulars and colonial militia under the direction of General John Forbes (1707-1759). 

Following the death of General Braddock during the ill-fated expedition against Ft. Duquesne in 1755, Forbes took command of British forces and commenced building a more direct road through 200 miles of trackless wilderness to attack the French at the strategic Forks. Hewn by hand from the primeval forest, the Forbes Road was 20 foot wide and traversed the Allegheny Mountains with fortified supply posts (Raystown and Ligonier) at supporting intervals. The rough road was sufficient to support wagons and artillery and was completed in November 1758. 

The sudden appearance of a large British force from the forest gloom so intimidated the under-strength French garrison that Fort Duquesne was soon abandoned and burned. Forbes took control of the illusive prize on November 25, 1758 and ordered the post rebuilt naming it Fort Pitt. Gravely ill through most of the grueling march, Forbes soon returned to Philadelphia where he died on March 11, 1759. 

Tracing Forbes' route the principal points are inscribed within simple rectangular cartouches, with adjacent buildings or forts characterizing the particular locations. Two major halls are depicted at Philadelphia, Lancaster, Carlile, and the reverse Shippinsburgh (with a bird embellishing the top of this cartouche. Fort plans are shown with Loudon, Lettelton, Stonneycreek (with reversed S's), Bedford and Ledgnear. 

The terminus of the road is shown at the top of the horn where a large plan view of a fort, together with interior buildings and a detailed Union Jack flag at full mast is labeled Fort Pitt. The three rivers that converge at the fort, the Forks, are depicted and labeled Monagahaly, Ohio, and Allagany. Trees and floral forms are depicted on one side near bottom of horn. 

Horn has fairly flattish base plug with a metal loop for a strap and what appears to be a shortened violin key as a stopper attached to the tip by a chain and metal band around the tip. The horn was likely carried and carved shortly after the construction of the new fort by a participant of the Forbes expedition as the place names generally correspond to the names known in 1758 culminating, of course, with Ft Pitt. The one possible exception is Bedford which was also called Raystown during the expedition. 

Today parts of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and US Route 30 parallel the old Forbes Trail with key road markers westbound in Bedford and Westmorland County. As well as commemorating the Forbes Road and the ultimate capture of Ft. Duquesne, it is appealing to think of this historic horn in practical terms as a sort of portable road map anticipating the thrust of future frontier travel. Of course, the major significance of the Forbes Road in the decades following the French & Indian War was as a major land route into the heart of the prime Ohio country connecting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Condition: This horn has a rich dark, untouched yellow-to-brown patina. An exceptionally scarce French and Indian War Map Horn of Pennsylvania. On a scale of one to ten, this is a ten.



Copy and photos from Cowan's.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Mike Small Powder Horn






Photographed at the 2013 CLA Show by Jan Riser.

Presentation Drawing

Presentation Drawing attributed to the "Striped Tulip Artist" probably Northhampton County, Pennsylvania, ca 1780

Ink and watercolor on paper, 5 x 2 ½ inches, framed

Copy and photo from Northeast Auctions.

Knife by Jud Brennan for John Barrett from the Gasper Mansker Series





Photographed at the 2012 CLA Show by Jan Riser.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Jack DuPrey Rifle
































Photographed at the 2013 Tennessee Kentucky Rifle Show by Jan Riser.