Vintage Trappings for Donkeys, Horses and Camels
image above: Camel net, SW Persia
Trappings include bands to secure saddles, head bands to anchor reigns and ‘bits’, blankets to serve as, or to go under, a saddle and many other applications. They are made for horses, mules, donkeys and camels and are both functional and decorative. They might be highly elaborate and impressive, with netting, multiple tassles, flat weave, thick pile weave, sumac technique, and many other techniques skilfully employed. Wool, cotton, glass, precious and base metals, beads, shells and other materials are used to serve both functional, decorative and ceremonial purposes.
image left: Camel with trappings. Photo by Gaynor Williams
Image above left: Girth band - Qashqai above right: Camel headdress - Baktiari, SW Persia
The vast array of animal trappings, tribal bags and tent bands serve as a glimpse of an earlier human lifestyle. Before urbanisation (a mere blip in Human history) human beings travelled seasonally for food and grazing or in seeking new territories, gradually over large areas and long periods of time. The trappings and various containers needed to manage a transient life with mobile tents and beasts of burden are often richly decorated, importantly representing family or tribal stories and traditions.
Come and see our rare collection of vintage trappings. Part of our Fringe 2024 exhibition; Back to the Nomads Tent.
