Photographs © Tim Hamill
TUAREG, SADDLE 4, 31.5" h. x 26.5" l. x
14" w., $400, Niger
SOLD
The Tuareg are fiercely independent nomadic people. On the move with their herds and camels over vast areas of the southern Sahara, they create an impressive world of traditional, functional objects of leather which was their primary material due to its durability, lightness and flexibility. Masters of geometric abstract design, the Tuareg fashioned objects ranging from saddlebags to cushions to tent mats that were painted and molded, embroidered, engraved and fringed.
These camel saddles were formed by stitching and gluing brightly colored leather embossed onto a forked wooden base. The saddle was then embellished with the addition of delicate drawings as well as separate pieces of molded leather brass studs and cut-outs of metal.