Fancywork basket
(c. 1860)
Medium
Black ash (Fraxinus nigra), wool, other materials
Measurements
6.6 × 15.5 × 15.0 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Norma Atwell Bequest, 2021
Gallery location
18th & 19th Century Decorative Arts & Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Basketry was practised in nearly all Shaker communities, and a wide variety of shapes and sizes were produced for different purposes. Baskets were based on traditional forms and techniques, but the Shakers took particular care in perfecting the details and finish of each. This tiny basket in the ‘kittenhead’ shape is exceptional in its artisanship and is a rare example of a so-called fancywork sewing basket, which would have been made either as a gift within the community or to be sold at the Shaker’s ‘Fancy Goods’ shops.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
New Lebanon, New York, United States
Inscription
inscribed (vertically) in pencil on base c.: / O X / 0/(…illeg.)
inscribed (vertically) in pen and ink on base c.: HR (underlined) / 125
Accession Number
2021.292
Department
International Decorative Arts