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Argentine gaucho tirador or
belt (above top) and detail of the rastras or buckle (above
bottom), early 20th Century. The belt is 13 cm. wide (5 inches).
The coins are mostly Argentine, Spanish and Chilean of the 19th
Century, with a few being dated in the late 18th and early 20th
Century. The sand cast central figure of a gaucho on the
buckle is throwing the boleadoras, a traditional weapon
made up of three weighted balls joined together by long rawhide
or sinew cords. The belt would be closed for wearing by inserting
the outermost coins into slotted holes at either end of the belt.
In its earnest days, the tirador would be the repository
of a gaucho's wealth with coins going on or coming off
according to the wearer's fortunes. |
