Antique American North Carolina Painted 2 Handled Gathering Basket

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Description

A large and uncommon early 19th-century gathering basket from North Carolina, rectangular in form with two fixed, steamed and bent … Read more A large and uncommon early 19th-century gathering basket from North Carolina, rectangular in form with two fixed, steamed and bent handles. Tightly handwoven with a well-defined structure and finished with a double-wrapped rim, the construction reflects skilled early American basketry traditions. The surface retains a soft, cream-toned painted finish, likely milk paint, now gently worn from use. The scale is notable—the clean rectangular form gives it a quiet architectural presence.
At 28 inches in length, it works easily on a console, bench, or large table, where it can hold throws, stacked books, or remain unfilled as a sculptural object. The combination of size, form, and surface places it comfortably within both traditional and more pared-back interiors.

COLLECTOR’S NOTE
Boxes and baskets of this type were part of the working fabric of early Southern households, often used for gathering, storage, and transport. In North Carolina, split oak was commonly employed, valued for its strength and flexibility when worked green. Surviving painted examples are less frequently encountered, as utilitarian coatings were often worn away through use—making intact surfaces like this increasingly sought after among collectors of Southern material culture. See less