Saddle blanket c. 20th century

This saddle blanket was made anonymously, with what looks like wool. I can imagine the weaver sitting and pulling through the threads to build up the forms. It would have taken them a long time! The overall palette is dark—deep browns and reds, with accents of off-white. It's easy to see the care and precision that went into making the shapes, which are both geometric and organic. There's a sort of push and pull. The star-like shapes and octagons make me think of looking through a kaleidoscope, or maybe the patterns on an old quilt. I think of artists like Anni Albers, who also worked with textiles, exploring geometric abstraction through weaving. There is a conversation happening between different mediums. And it reminds me that everything made by hand—painting, weaving, pottery—embodies an attempt to communicate feeling and meaning through the slow, tactile process of making.