Saddle Cover

last quarter 19th century

Not on view

Elaborate caparisons, or ornamental coverings for horses and camels, are an essential part of almost every nomadic art tradition. Textiles were often designed to cover leather saddles. Some examples, including this one, feature side panels to provide cushioning for the rider’s thighs. The floral motifs, rendered in a naturalistic style, are characteristic of Bakhtiari tribal works. Also common among Bakhtiari carpets is the symmetrically knotted pile technique the weaver used here.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Title: Saddle Cover
Date: last quarter 19th century
Geography: From Western Iran, Bakhtiari tribe
Medium: Wool (warp, ground weft, and pile); symmetrically knotted pile
Dimensions: H. 29 in. (73.7 cm)
W. 44 in. (111.8 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Rugs
Credit Line: Gift of Inger G. and William B. Ginsberg, 2015
Object Number: 2015.490.1
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Salt Bag, Wool (warp, ground weft, sumak weft, and pile), cotton (white sumak weft and white pile), and goat(?) hair (side finishes); sumak extra-weft wrapping (front); symmetrically knotted pile (bottom edge); weft-faced plain weave with pattern in sumak extra-weft wrapping (back); wrapped warp tassels — Salt Bag
ca. 1920

Saddle Rug with Branch Designs, Foundation: cotton; wool knotting, China — Saddle Rug with Branch Designs
China
18th century

Double Flour Bag, Wool (warp, ground weft, sumak weft, and pile) and goat(?) hair (braided loops); sumak extra-weft wrapping, tapestry (kilim) with dovetailing, and border pattern in complementary weft weave (front); symmetrically knotted pile (top and bottom edges); weft-faced plain weave with two areas of pattern in sumak extra-weft wrapping with twined and braided loop closures (back) — Double Flour Bag
ca. 1900

Saddle Rug with Lion Roundels, Foundation: cotton; wool knotting, China — Saddle Rug with Lion Roundels
China
19th century

Salt Bag, Wool (warp, ground weft, and supplementary weft); balanced plain weave with pattern in supplementary brocaded weft (front); weft-faced plain weave (back) — Salt Bag
last quarter 19th century

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