Pair of Nubian saddles in black painted metal with gold and red highlights. The round tablets rest on the heads. Dressed in feathered loincloths and jewellery, they hold a rope with bells and bells. Counter base in fluted doucine. 19th century. Height 104 cm - Diameter: 23 cm (wear) The vogue for the exotic, which began very early in the 18th century with everything from the Far East, continued in the early 19th century with everything from Africa and America. The publication of the adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe in 1719, followed by Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint Pierre in 1788, spread the image of the good savage living in an idyllic nature untouched by the white man. Many decorative objects represent this theme, confusing the African, the black slave in North America and the American Indian. The fashion for these good savages lasted well into the 19th century, particularly with the publication of Chateaubriand's Atala in 1801. Bibliography : E. Schlumberger, "L'heure exotique", in Connaissance des arts, Paris, 1978, no. 318, p. 30. 19th century.