Hand-Woven Oak Splint Basket With Horse Bit Handle by Elizabeth Worley

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There are objects that were made to be used, and then there are objects that, somewhere along the way, become … Read more There are objects that were made to be used, and then there are objects that, somewhere along the way, become keepers of stories. This extraordinary oak splint basket by Kentucky folk artist Elizabeth Worley belongs firmly to the latter. Hand-woven in the tradition of Appalachian basketry, its graceful form speaks to generations of makers who understood that necessity and beauty were never separate things. But it is the handle that reveals its true character: a 19th century iron horse bit, woven directly into the basket, connecting the quiet world of domestic craft with the enduring mythology of the Bluegrass horse country. One can imagine it carried through a weathered barn, resting beside a farmhouse door, or holding the everyday treasures of a life lived close to the land. A remarkable example of American Folk Art, this is more than a basket—it is a fragment of Kentucky history, woven with ingenuity, memory, and a story waiting to be continued. See less