Tribal Saddle Bags

Made to be carried across a horse or camel between seasonal pastures, these vintage Afghan saddle bags now hang beautifully on a wall or drape over a chair.

Many were hand-knotted in Afghanistan between 1950 and 1980 as a joined pair of pouches, with a pile of hand-spun wool and small flashes of bright synthetic yarn that nomadic weavers salvaged and knotted straight into the pattern. Sumak saddle bags are woven differently: the yarn is wrapped around the warps, giving a dense, slightly raised surface with a braided look. Medallions, diamonds, stars and bands appear in deep reds, rust, navy and brown.

Hung on a wall, a saddle bag makes a small piece full of texture. Laid over the arm of a sofa, the end of a bed or a bench, it adds colour and history to a room, and each one shows the wear of a working life.