Tuareg Tooled Leather Box

Deep oxblood box lid stamped with hatching, diamonds, and two curved panels.

This tooled leather and wood box is Tuareg, from Mali, West Africa, and is contemporary. Tooling means pressing and cutting patterns into leather, and Tuareg makers often add geometric designs that are repeated in bands. Rectangular, reddish-brown box viewed from the top, with tooled borders of herringbone and bands of dots down the left side. A recessed center panel holds two curved, fan-like shapes. The surface has a rich, slightly worn sheen. It is 9.5 inches wide, 5.75 deep and 3.5 high.

Decorated with the patience of someone who hates blank space.