BlackPowderMag.com Flintlock Rifles and Black Powder Guns
CLA Auction Item: FISHING THEMED POWDER HORN & BAIT HORN SET by Albert Emanuel
Powder Horn length: 9 ¼” Bait horn length:: 4 ½”
By Joshua Sheppard Photography by H. David Wright
Hunting and fishing are twin pursuits that have shaped outdoor life throughout American history. For this year’s CLF fundraising auction, Arizona artist Albert “Ace” Emanuel has crafted a stunning pair of horns that will be useful on the hunt or by the lake.
Emanuel’s powder horn is a fine example of the flat variety, fitted with a poplar base plug. The stopper was crafted from horn, carved into the shape of a fish, and then detailed with lightly scrimshawed features. White highlights on the fish mouth were added with a mixture of horn dust and glue.
The set is accompanied by an ingenious bait horn that’s an original design from the artist. Emanuel made use of a slightly bulged and misshapen horn to make the bait container. The bottom of the horn is pine, while the top stopper was turned from a piece of Arizona juniper cedar. The lid, paired with a leather lanyard and a simple wooden toggle, keeps the bait safely secured within the horn. The surface of the piece features delightful scrimshaw of two fishermen, inspired by Pennsylvania Dutch folk art, “a passion of mine,” says the artist, “along with horn and bag fabrication.”
Although Emanuel modestly notes that using the deformed horn was nothing more than a case of “turning a ‘pig into a poke’”, his offering for this year’s CLF fundraising auction is a masterful pairing of an original concept with expert craftsmanship.
For more information on the work of Albert Emanuel, contact the artist directly at: lazyaceaz2@aol.com
To see all the Artists’ contributions to the 2020 CLF Live Fund Raising Auction, visit our website at http://www.contemporarylongriflefoundation.org/2020-live-auction/
Larry Pletcher, editor
www.blackpowdermag.com
