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Al Shelton Miniature Saddle

Currency:USD Category:Antiques Start Price:1,500.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
Al Shelton Miniature Saddle
Complete with matching bridle and reins. Made in the early 1970s for American Rodeo Heritage, this marvelous one-of-a-kind miniature parade saddle from the venerated Southern California leather carver is 10 1/2” high with a 3” seat. The saddle is fully floral carved and includes the name AMERICAN HERITAGE RODEO tooled on the side jockey and the word RODEO in raised letters on the back of the cantle. Al has personally fabricated and tooled the swell caps, corner plates, rosettes, cantle and gullet covers from leather - then hand painted them to simulate the silver mountings on a traditional parade saddle. Every piece of this lovely creation is perfectly in scale including the cinch, rigging, tapaderos and even a two-tone leather corona and pair of miniature metal spurs. The saddle includes a custom display stand covered in leather tooled to look like natural wood. The pedestal base is rope lined and mounted on a lazy susan so the saddle can be rotated for easy viewing EXHIBITED: The Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History, Lone Pine, California PROVENACE: Originally commissioned by the management for the American Heritage Rodeo (AHR) held in the Denver CO area. The AHR management wanted to duplicate this miniature saddle for rodeo award purposes. In the end, the saddle proved too expensive for use as an award and they settled with Al by presenting the work of leather back to him.

Al Shelton (b 1920)
Albert Lee Shelton was born June, 1920 working as a cowboy & ranch hand in Colorado, Nebraska and surrounding states before moving to California in 1943 to work for Edward H Bohlin. Dissatisified with his paltry wage from the saddlemaker to the stars, Al left and became a subcontractor for Nudie Western Tailors and other popular makers in the L A area, creating works in carved leather, bronze & silver sculpture, watercolor and oil.
One of Al's most famous customers was none other than Gene Autry. Al made many leather and sculpted items for Gene Autry. In fact, several creations of Al Shelton are on display at the Autry National Center (formerly the Autry Museum of Western Heritage). Specifically, a parade show saddle made for Dale Robertson, the star of the television series Tales of Wells Fargo and parts of the large bronze statue of Gene and his horse Champion that is the show piece at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. Included in the Gene Autry Centennial collection are several briefcases, guitar cases, silver and bronze belt buckles and leather boots.
Over the years, his customers included, Eddie Albert, Loni Anderson, Glen Campbell, Jackie Chan, Chuck Connors, William Conrad, Alex Cord, Steve Cropper, Mac Davis, Angie Dickinson, Patrick Sheane Duncan, Farrah Fawcett, Sally Field, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, James Garner, Merv Griffin, Mark Harmon, Anjelica Huston, Loren Janes, Jack Lemmon, Lee Majors, Russ McCubbin, Steve McQueen, Rick Nelson, Jack Palance, President Ronald Reagan, Burt Reynolds, Dale Robertson, Tom Selleck, Jane Seymour, Dinah Shore, Marc Singer, Sylvester Stallone, Barbara Stanwyck, Connie Stevens, Barbara Streisand, Robert Taylor, Lindsay Wagner, Robert Wagner, Clint Walker, Stephanie Zimbalist and Efrem Zimbalist.
Much of Al's artwork is known as interpretive art. That is, there is a story or communication that Al makes through his art subjects. Al continues to this day as a working artist who - over the last 50 years - has lived a humble life in his art studio in nearby Hollywood, CA.