This is one of two panniers that would have been strapped onto the back of a burro. It dates back to the early 1900’s and is constructed of cottonwood sticks and steer rawhide. You can actually still see the hairs from the steer on some of the strapping. The pannier is quite burnished and has a patina from many years of use. The size of the actual pannier is close in scale to the image in my painting, 24″ x 20″ x 33″ so it is quite large and very heavy. It was used to haul firewood and field produce so it needed to be robust in its construction.
I found so much interest in this piece with all of the strapping and the way it was constructed. It was a definite challenge to figure out how it was woven and to be able to depict that weaving in paint.
Original painting available through King Galleries | www.kinggalleries.com | 480.440.3912 (Santa Fe), 480.481.0187 (Scottsdale)
