Tuareg Tooled Leather Box

Flat, square box with a carved lid of arches and stepped borders.

This tooled leather box is Tuareg, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is leather & wood. The Tuareg of the Sahara are known for leatherwork, and their stitched and tooled pouches, cushions and boxes are traditionally made by artisans, often in the smith community. Low, nearly square box with a deep red-brown colour. The lid is carved with a symmetric design of tulip-like arches, dotted borders and small rosettes, framed by a thin raised edge. The sides are plain and finely lined. It is 11.5 inches wide, 7 deep and 2 high.

All the geometry anyone could need, all of it under a lid.