Description:
Powder horne inscribed "Hull Curtis..." of Woodbury, Connecticut, and signed by Jacob Gay. Hull Curtis is listed as having been detached to Lt. Col. Thomas Knowlton's Rangers from Col. Charles Webb's regiment. The unit was captured while defending Fort Washington in Harlem during the Battle of New York on Nov. 16, 1776. All of the rangers were taken prisoner, and Hull Curtis does not appear in the records after that date. This is one of Gay's finest horns. Above the name is an imaginative coat-of-arms based on the British arms. A rampant lion and a unicorn are supporting a crown over an oval containing a profile bust of a man who is sometimes identified as Washington, although he bears no resemblance to him. Surrounding the bust is the legend SUCCESS TO AMERICA. The lion has the animated cartoonlike face seen on most Gay lions. Above the coat-of-arms are several animals that have typical Gay expressions: the moose has a hooked snout, and a combination horse and mule has a laughing expression that Gay often employed. Other animals include a deer, a dog, a racoon, a rabbit, and a bear. The calligraphy of the owner's name is deeply shaded. The letters are decorated with Gay's usual faces, trefoil , heart-shaped leaves, flowers, and geometric devises. Gay signed the horn in script , spelling his name correctly.
Tags:
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2005.20.62 |
