richly embroidered, consisting of saddle tree with stirrups, lower and upper saddle cover, bridle with curb, slender wooden saddle tree raised at the front and back, covered with untreated rawhide, wrought-iron and formerly gilt strap eyelets secured to both sides with green cord and attached stirrups (originally not part of this piece, the original stirrups - corroded and covered with gold paint - are included); at the front a short fastening strap for the harness made of leather with an equally embroidered fabric cover, the lower saddle cover made of red-brown leather, the entire upper surface covered with richly embroidered green velvet, ornamental embroidery in relief made of fine gilt silver wire, the edge area with a green fabric border also interwoven with gilt silver wire, recess for the saddle horn and the buttock brim, the upper saddle cover also made of reddish-brown leather lined on the inside with embroidered blue fabric and secured with its own border, the entire upper side covered with richly embroidered green velvet (slightly worn), ornamental embroidery of gilt silver wire slightly darkened and edged with a similar border, recesses in the two front corners for the attachment strap for the harness to pass through, the two horns padded and embroidered on the outside with flower-like decoration, in the centre field an additional rectangular padding with similar decoration, harness and saddle covers with rich ornamental embroidery of gilt silver wire on the upper side, framed with similarly decorated and interwoven borders, fringed fabric and metal wire hangings on the lower edge, fastening strap with added buckles on the upper side, the bridle with wrought-iron snaffle bit, remnants of gilding still visible in several places, cheek straps of fabric-covered leather, richly embroidered and decorated, with signs of age and wear, tongue-like gilt metal applications, browband with both flaps and central decorative fringes, the long textile and richly decorated reins attached to the snaffle bit with gilt applications, darkened in places and with signs of age, condition II (Ka)

Provenance:
The present item is one of four known and almost identical saddles. One in the Lippisches Landesmuseum in Detmold, which houses the collection of the last Foreign Minister of the Weimar Republic, Friedrich Rosen. This was a special gift to Rosen in 1908 from the then Sultan Abd al Aziz (1880-1943), who ruled as Sultan of the Alawids in Morocco from 1894 to 1908. Two other saddles of the same type are preserved in a museum in Glasgow and in the Musee des Armes, Fez, Morocco. The consignor, therefore, assumes that this saddle was an honorary gift from the Sultan for high-ranking personalities.