拍品專文
One of only two known powderhorns from Barnard, Vermont, the importance of this example is amplified by the fact that the creator, Jonathan Carpenter, kept a journal of his activities as a soldier during the Revolutionary War and his time at Camp Barnard. (Carpenter's journal is owned by the Vermont Historical Society in Montpelier and portions are published in John K. Alexander, "Jonathan Carpenter and the American Revolution," Vermont History, vol. 36, no. 2, (Spring, 1968), pp. 74-90); the other known Barnard horn is dated 1846 and is privately owned, see Stephen V. Grancsay, American Engraved Powderhorns, (Philadelphia, 1965), p. 70.
Born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts in 1757, Carpenter was a joiner by trade. Active in the resistance to British rule, he was a minuteman in 1775 and involved with five different regiments from 1776 until 1777 from Boston to New York and Rhode Island. In 1778 and 1779 he enlisted as a privateersman in the United Colonies Naval Service, where he was captured by the British and held as a prisoner of war. Of particular relevance was his activity in the year 1780 after his release. Re-enlisting into the army, he served under Captain Benjamin Cox's Company at Fort Defiance in Barnard, Vermont, a garrison built to protect the surrounding communities against Indian-Tory raids. Carpenter spent his three month tenure at the outpost as a scout "in Serch [sic] of...tories that have ben [sic] sculking about" (Jonathan Carpenter's Book, August ye 25, 1780, Vermont History).
When not canvassing the countryside for "our savage Enemy" (Carpenter, October ye 19, 1780), Carpenter found the time to engrave this powderhorn on September ye 1st 1780. Inscribed with his name, that of the camp and the date, this information corresponds to records that show Carpenter's tenure at the fort at this time, reinforcing the notations from his journal. As an illustrative expression of his
excursions and experiences, he engraved a likeness of himself in Revolutionary uniform pursuing an Indian over territory abundant with wildlife. Included as familiar symbols of his military action are a canon and a three masted man-of-war bearing the "Rebel Stripes" union flag, in use by some military units until the 1790s (see, Edward W. Richardson, Standards and Colors of the American Revolution, (PA,
1982), p. 21).
The provincial manner in which the images are executed suggests that this horn was carved by Carpenter himself, possibly with a simple pocket knife, and not by a professional engraver. Although crude in its workmanship, the horn evokes a charm quite unlike the harsh and often uncertain environment in which it was rendered.
Born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts in 1757, Carpenter was a joiner by trade. Active in the resistance to British rule, he was a minuteman in 1775 and involved with five different regiments from 1776 until 1777 from Boston to New York and Rhode Island. In 1778 and 1779 he enlisted as a privateersman in the United Colonies Naval Service, where he was captured by the British and held as a prisoner of war. Of particular relevance was his activity in the year 1780 after his release. Re-enlisting into the army, he served under Captain Benjamin Cox's Company at Fort Defiance in Barnard, Vermont, a garrison built to protect the surrounding communities against Indian-Tory raids. Carpenter spent his three month tenure at the outpost as a scout "in Serch [sic] of...tories that have ben [sic] sculking about" (Jonathan Carpenter's Book, August ye 25, 1780, Vermont History).
When not canvassing the countryside for "our savage Enemy" (Carpenter, October ye 19, 1780), Carpenter found the time to engrave this powderhorn on September ye 1st 1780. Inscribed with his name, that of the camp and the date, this information corresponds to records that show Carpenter's tenure at the fort at this time, reinforcing the notations from his journal. As an illustrative expression of his
excursions and experiences, he engraved a likeness of himself in Revolutionary uniform pursuing an Indian over territory abundant with wildlife. Included as familiar symbols of his military action are a canon and a three masted man-of-war bearing the "Rebel Stripes" union flag, in use by some military units until the 1790s (see, Edward W. Richardson, Standards and Colors of the American Revolution, (PA,
1982), p. 21).
The provincial manner in which the images are executed suggests that this horn was carved by Carpenter himself, possibly with a simple pocket knife, and not by a professional engraver. Although crude in its workmanship, the horn evokes a charm quite unlike the harsh and often uncertain environment in which it was rendered.