MATS FROM THE SAHARA | APRIL 2016
A surprising Sahara forest of palm wood and leather.
Hundreds of antique rolled mats invade the gallery space and reveal myriads of designs, the symbols of ancient cultures.
The formal rigour of the designs and the absolute absence of ornaments that evoke the petroglyphs in the desert are the testimony of archaic nobility and the extraordinary modernity of the art of these nomad warriors.
The Saharan mats of Mauritania, made in the only materials available in the Sahara, wood from oasis palm trees and the skins of dromedaries or sheep, were for centuries the only floors in the desert. Incredibly robust due to the hardwood, they offered isolation during the cold desert nights. Rolled up and secured to the animals’ flanks during transfers, they were also perfect for transport, the prime necessity in nomadic life.
