Baskets

Basket making is a widespread craft that has been practiced across the world for millennia. Since many baskets, particularly those made of degradable materials, do not preserve well, the exact history of their origin is unknown. However, baskets discovered during archaeological digs in Egypt have been carbon dated to about 5000 B.C.

Baskets can be made of almost any pliable material, but the majority of historical examples are made from organic sources including stems, grasses, thread, wood, straw, and even animal hide and hair. An important feature of indigenous populations, baskets have long been used as components of religious ceremonies, containers to store food and belongings, and vehicles for trading goods. The many uses of baskets resulted in the spread of different weaving and basket-making techniques within and across continents. Even so, specific styles and basket-making techniques can be traced to unique geographic regions. For example, in the Southwestern United States, Native Americans perfected the tradition of coiling with native grasses to create tightly-woven baskets with geometric, multi-colored designs.

Today, baskets can be made of almost any flexible material. Artists are increasingly using aluminum, plastic, steel, paper, and newspaper to create modern and aesthetically pleasing pieces.

Quick Facts

• On December 5, 2005, Bonhams sold Tina Charlie’s Paiute polychrome basket, 1926, for $248,250
• On August 6, 2005, Osana sold a collection of Nantucket lightship and friendship baskets, including a nest of three Isaac Hamblin ovals, two A.D. Williams miniature covered baskets, a 19th-century feather basket, and a rare 19th-century heart-embellished open basket for $115,000
• Coiling with sweetgrass has been the preferred basketry technique in West Africa for centuries and was brought to the United States by African slaves. The art of making sweetgrass baskets is still alive today in the Eastern coastal states, especially in South Carolina