Yanomami Gathering Basket

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The beauty of this 20th-century Yanomami basket begins with the weave. Dense, irregular and wonderfully tactile, the natural fiber has … Read more The beauty of this 20th-century Yanomami basket begins with the weave. Dense, irregular and wonderfully tactile, the natural fiber has taken on the warm color and variation that only comes with age. Then there are those lines.

Black ash waves travel vertically around the basket, each slightly different from the next. Against the rough weave they feel remarkably modern, almost like someone took a brush to a piece of contemporary sculpture. Yet there is nothing calculated about them. Handwoven by the Yanomami of the Amazonian rainforest, baskets like this belonged first to daily life. They were made from local plant fibers to gather, carry and store. That history is important, but you don’t need to know any of it to want this one.

The shape, the texture, the wandering black lines. It has presence. It can hold its own among important furniture and serious art without pretending to be either. See less