AMERICAN ENGRAVED POWDER HORNS. A new printing. A study based on the J.H. Grenville Gilbert Collection. By Stephen V. Grancsay.

(1945) 1976 new edition. 4to (220 x 286mm). Ppviii,96 + xlvii plates. B/w photographs, map, 47 full-page b/w plates at rear of book, extensive bibliography. Pictorial boards.

"This monograph deals with the collection of American powder horns and primers formed by J.H. Grenville Gilbert, of Ware, Massachusetts, and generously presented to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1937 by the late Mrs. Gilbert. ...An essay on American engraved powder horns and a resume of the Gilbert collection precede the catalogue, which consists of detailed descriptions of the individual pieces and notes of genealogical or historical interest. Each horn in the collection is illustrated by a collotype reproduction and, with one exception (an undecorated horn), by a line drawing of the engraved area. These drawings show the decorated surface as though unrolled, and thus make it possible to see the iconography at a glance. ...One of the features of the monograph is the Check List of American Engraved Powder Horns. It records examples that bear the name of the original owner, a date, a map, a rhyme, or other significant inscription or ornamentation. The list is indexed, so that professional engravers, places, and ships mentioned on the horns, as well as the names of the present owners (both institutions and individuals), are readily available. It is a valuable source of information for specialized phases of this study, such as New England, New York, and Pennsylvania map horns, ships and views of cities represented on powder horns, and professional horn-makers; in addition, it provides a working basis for research on subjects not specifically noted in the entries, such as flags and historical powder horns. A list of rhymes that appear on powder horns is given in another appendix. There is also an annotated bibliography".