What Animal Does Drinking Horns Come From?

Drinking horns

Metal mounts are nearly all that remain from Early Medieval drinking horns. We worked with a gimmicky horn-crafter and designer to recreate these iconic drinking vessels.

Makers:

Johnny Ross, Sutherland Horncraft
Jennifer Gray, designer and maker

A Pictish stone from Bullion, Angus, shows a warrior on horseback belongings a huge drinking horn with a large bird-headed mount at its tip.

Every bit horn is an organic material and susceptible to disuse, metallic mounts are almost all that remain from Early Medieval drinking horns. For instance, we take two 9th century drinking horn fittings found in Scotland on brandish in Creative Spirit; a silver rim mount from Burghead, Moray and a tinned copper-alloy concluding mount from Pierowall, Westray in Orkney. Both of these mounts are the size which would fit locally available cattle breeds. Withal, metal fittings from exceptionally large horns have been found in high status Anglo-Saxon burials, including those at Sutton Hoo and Taplow in south-east England. 8th century Irish constabulary tracts tell usa that such large horns from wild cattle (aurochs) had to exist imported into Britain and Ireland. The drinking horn that the Bullion human being has clasped in his hands tells the states that Pictish people probably had access to 1 of these imported auroch horns.

A Pictish stone from Bullion, Angus, shows a bearded warrior on horseback holding a huge drinking horn with a large bird-headed mount at its tip.

Recreating Pictish drinking horns

The Glenmorangie Research Project has worked with skilled horn-crafter Johnny Ross to recreate drinking horns based on this evidence. We take used two horns from the same beast of Scotland's oldest breed, the Highland moo-cow, and an imported horn of an ankole, a species of African cattle descended from aurochs. The Highland horns concord a pint of liquid, each enough for one person, just the larger horn holds a gallon, enough for communal drinking at feasts or heroic consumption to print others. Through a painstaking process involving humid, scraping, sanding and polishing, Johnny Ross brought out the glassy and translucent qualities of the horn. Each of the Highland moo-cow horns were polished to different degrees. This revealed the various glistening and translucent fabric qualities of horn, evoking other high-status materials of drinking glass and metal.

With the stunning backdrop of the Sutherland mountains behind him, Johnny is working on our specially commissioned African ankole horn recreation, based on the proportions of the Bullion Man stone. One of the smaller amber coloured highland cow horn recreations also sits waiting to be finished.

With the stunning backdrop of the Sutherland mountains backside him, Johnny is working on our specially commissioned African ankole horn recreation, based on the proportions of the Bullion Human rock. 1 of the smaller amber coloured highland moo-cow horn recreations as well sits waiting to be finished.

Recreating fittings for the horns

Inspired by the bird-head mounted on the cease of the Bullion man's drinking horn, we commissioned designer and maker Jennifer Grayness to make a silver fitting for our African horn recreation. White-metals were preferred past the Picts for making high-status fittings. As with all of our recreations, the piece evolved through abiding dialogue with the bear witness, on-going research and the maker's specialist crafting and material know-how.

Nosotros provided Jennifer with a palette of inspirations including the Ninian's Isle chapes, Norrie's Law hoard and the Rogart brooch.

Ninian's Isle chapes, Norrie's Law hoard and the Rogart brooch.

(Left to right) Ninian's Isle chapes, Norrie's Law hoard and the Rogart brooch.

Jennifer used a unique combination of innovative 3D applied science and traditional silvery-making methods. The mount was "about" carved in a 3D digital design plan, "like you would past hand just by using a mouse". This was then 3D printed, cast into wax and carved into by hand. This wax end-piece was then bandage in silver.

Jennifer Greyness'due south work connects the different digital and traditional methods of recreation used past the Glenmorangie Research Project; there is ever a tension betwixt authentic craft techniques bachelor to the Early Medieval people and new innovative technologies bachelor to usa today. New and quondam ways of doing can assistance us empathise Early on Medieval objects and the skills required to brand them.

Jennifer's digital reconstructions of the fitting for the horn.