Sign of the Black Horse
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Ambrose Kirtland
(American, 1737 - 1816)
Dateabout 1771
MediumPaint on pine board, possibly oak, iron hardware
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width including hardware): 30 1/4 x 29 3/4in. (76.8 x 75.6cm)
Other (height x width of sign only): 47 x 28 3/4in. (119.4 x 73cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCollection of Morgan B. Brainard. Gift of Mrs. Morgan B. Brainard
Object number1961.63.8
DescriptionImages: on both sides: profile of riderless black horse, centered on board; white ground; no underlying images.
Construction notes: Single board; double, molded horizontal rails; turned posts. Board is set vertically and hand-sawn at top and bottom to create decorative pediment and skirt profiles; board is held by nails between paired, molded rails. Each rail is tenoned into the turned posts and secured by two pins at each joint.
Surface notes: The figure of the horse is slightly elevated, but no defining knife cuts are visible, indicating that the relief results from weathering of the background. The lettering, in contrast, is flush with the surface, suggesting that it was added after the background had been substantially weathered. The crowded placement of the lettering also supports the theory that it is a later insertion. The horse appears to have been laid out from a template, while the lettering is painted within scribed guidelines; the "I" in "Entertainment" is, anomalously, a capital with a dot above it.
Construction notes: Single board; double, molded horizontal rails; turned posts. Board is set vertically and hand-sawn at top and bottom to create decorative pediment and skirt profiles; board is held by nails between paired, molded rails. Each rail is tenoned into the turned posts and secured by two pins at each joint.
Surface notes: The figure of the horse is slightly elevated, but no defining knife cuts are visible, indicating that the relief results from weathering of the background. The lettering, in contrast, is flush with the surface, suggesting that it was added after the background had been substantially weathered. The crowded placement of the lettering also supports the theory that it is a later insertion. The horse appears to have been laid out from a template, while the lettering is painted within scribed guidelines; the "I" in "Entertainment" is, anomalously, a capital with a dot above it.
Collections
Label TextLike the sign for Bull’s Inn (1961.63.9), this one displays the simple black horse design popular in the mid-18th century. The earliest New England signs did not use the word “inn” or “tavern,” but some, like this one, included the word “Entertainment,” which at the time meant “hospitable provision for the wants of a guest.” Colonial legislation required that each town provide entertainment for travelers and their horses.
NotesHistorical Note: Original location. Kirtland's house still stands on North Cove at Old Saybrook Point and has been extensively documented. Deed research supports local tradition that it was built by John Burrows between 1712 and 1759. Kirtland acquired the property in 1771, and deeded it in 1794 to his son Daniel (1766-1829). It was seaport tavern, oriented to water traffic but not convenient to any major roads; while many similarly situated inns declined in the nineteenth century, this one experienced a revival of business, becoming a profitable transfer point between steamboats landing at the wharf to its rear and the Connecticut Valley Railway.Status
On view
Captain Aaron Bissell Sr.
1772-1786
