Firminy anvil, horn sloping up

[HSC 3 knives]

good day,

I'm an American currently in France, full time bladesmith of kitchen cutlery

Looking at some anvils, from dealers in Austria and Italy

I like the looks, size and weight of a Firminy anvil - DATED 1922 WITH 136 KG MARKED = 299 LBS

I'm looking at pics of it online...question, why is the horn slightly raised and sloping upwards?

From the flat area transition to the horn, there is a slight raised hump, what is the purpose of this design.

I don't really use a horn in bladesmithing

thanks

Harbeer

[Benona blacksmith]

I believe the raised horn serves a few purposes. One is it makes for nice surface supported over the body of the anvil for drawing out stock. It also would be good for straightening long stock kinda like a sway in an anvil face. 

This particular anvil appears to have been used heavily over the hump.

[anvil]

Interesting anvil. Speculation on why it's pointed up is just that. Speculation.

Benona, the horn is not the best for drawing out, even tho some do. The reason is the converging lines. This means that one side will get drawn out more than the other. If you want a straight piece, you must correct for the uneven draw. 

I believe the horn has two benefits, edge bending and adding a third dimension to a scroll. The narrower the piece, the less twist you will get. Think horse shoe. The wider the piece, the more twist you get because of the converging horn. 

So, why is the horn pointed up? My guess follows the above. Perhaps with the horn pointed up and if you use a straight down blow, you will get more twist. Thus it may be easier to get max third dimension in your leaf type scrolls.