Antique Handmade Woven Wood Splint Basket , Carved Wooden Handle

Description: Antique American woven wood-splint basket. A primitive yet well-made gathering / carrying basket. Exact age unknown; skillfully made with evidences of quality typically found in baskets made in the early 1900s or in the 1800s. The wood is oxidized with age. Clearly hand-made, with splints ranging in width from about 9/16" to 5/8" to 11/16" A couple of the splints are even narrower, about 1/2" wide. ( all measured about 3" down from the rim ) Kick up base. Double-wrapped " X " rim. ( double-wrapping on the rim is an indicator of higher quality ; a more skillfully made basket ) Carved wooden swing handle. The handle is carved entirely from a single piece of wood. The handle has tool-marks and slight irregularities, as expected of a hand-carved handle. The handle swings and is attached to the basket by a wood-splint bow ( see the photos ). The wooden bow is carved with notches to prevent it sliding out of the basket ( again, quality ). ---------- Overall Dimensions : About 7 1/8" in height, to the basket rim, on one side. About 7 3/8" height on the other side, and about 8 1/2" to the top of the bow. About 13" in height including the handle when in the upright position. About 11" diameter at the rim. About 9" diameter at the base. -------- Condition. This basket is clearly showing its age, and was much used. It has had a hard life and has some significant damage. Most notably, one of the bows for attaching the handle is broken. Only the lower part of that bow remains. Also the handle itself is broken on that side, where it formerly attached to the basket ( see the photos ). Many years ago, a former owner looped a piece of wire into that spot to reattach that side of the handle, so the basket could still be carried. Our ancestors kept and repaired anything that could still be used - it's only in modern America that we have become a "throw-away" society. The wood is old and dry, and there are several spots where splints have broken, and some spots where a piece of splint is missing. The largest of these is in the area around the missing bow, near the rim on one side. The remaining bow has some loss of wood at the top of the bend. There is a splatter of old paint spots near the rim on one side, in the vicinity of the bow. See the photos, which show the damaged areas. Damaged, however this basket is old and was skillfully made by hand; an implement that helped a working American family to survive a long time ago. Carefully packed for shipment to the buyer.

Price: 49 USD

Location: Coventry, Rhode Island

End Time: 2023-11-27T16:26:08.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD