Late 19th Century Appalachian or Tribal Gathering Basket

Details

Description

This basket is a hand-woven split basket with a single bent wood handle and blue/green dyed weaving. It is typically … Read more This basket is a hand-woven split basket with a single bent wood handle and blue/green dyed weaving. It is typically associated with Appalachia Folk Art or Native American craftsmanship, particularly the Cherokee who have a long tradition of making such baskets with white oak, ash or river cane. We believed that this would generally be called a "gathering basket", a type historically used in the Appalachian Mountains and by possibly by Native American tribes for practical purposes like picking produce, gathering eggs or carrying goods to market.

It is constructed from natural wood, likely split oak or ash with two lines of blue green, dye. The top is in a weave pattern.

The handle is a single bent split piece of oak or ash bound around the basket. It is oval in shape and in generally good condition.

It is tightly woven bearing the characteristic "X" Cross Weave where the handle meets the top of the basket. Referred to as a "God's Eye", it was considered a symbol of good luck.

The wave is generally described as a plain plaited weave or an "over and under" weaving style a common and defining type for this type of basketry. See less