Featured Unusual basket - Anyone seen similar?

Another recent acquisition (in my efforts to get at least one of everything ).

It may be "tribal", maybe not, but most discussions about baskets end up here.

It is made of woven telephone wire, which I most associate with Zulu baskets from South Africa. But their baskets are typically made either by a coiling technique using telephone wire as the stitching element over a heavier metal wire coil ("hard wire"), or by a complex braiding technique used primarily for bowls that result in spiraling designs.

This basket is woven using a stake and strand technique in the tradition of wickerwork. Some groups in Southern Africa do wickerwork with various wood and grass elements, but I cannot find another example using telephone wire with this technique.

Dimensions are approximately 10" high (with lid), and 10" at widest.

The source said it had been in her grandmother's house for "many years", and that her grandmother originally immigrated from Hungary. But she could not say when or where her grandmother acquired the basket.

That is all I know. I am curious if anyone is familiar with similar examples. Thanks.

 

it's very lovely !

did u clean it ?

that type of weave is a dust magnet , and I don't see any signs of buildup that would indicate age..?

 

Telephone wire baskets started becoming a thing in the 60’s or so. I recently just acquired a Zulu club that seems to share the same weave pattern with metal so I think you’re right on it being a Zulu basket.

 

I have dusted the lid, but the body seems to have been well protected in grandma's home.

 

I saw and commented on your knobkerrie. The braided technique used on some Zulu baskets is derived from such work as on your piece. But the interesting thing about my basket is that the technique is very different from the methods used on Zulu baskets.

 

u make an interesting point about the woven structure...

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Plastic-Gradient-Synthetic-Material-Forniture/dp/B0C4NYR2CP

what about the weave here ?

 

Interesting. They seem to have been selling flat strips, and some of the basket examples they show would be classed as wicker/stake-and-strand technique. I wish they had provided some information as to where their examples were made.

 

We could find em.... tie em up...and force the info out of them !!!

 

that's 2MB's basket....

 

It's very pretty. Just reminds me a lot of Mexico.

 

It could, I suppose, be the work of an accomplished basketmaker almost anywhere. Perhaps even a one-off experiment. But it would be nice to find out if there is a tradition of such lovely things somewhere.

Ah, yes. No secrets with google image search around.

 

a one off?
if I could make that so perfectly........... I'd make more !!

 

It’s share at your own risk these days! Luckily as a paid and in possession buyer not much can be found out about you or done to interfere with you.

 

'Snake Charmer Basket' ? It helps to come up with imaginative copy on Ebay these days.

 

Eureka!

After a few more hours of searching I found this listed on Chairish -


https://www.chairish.com/product/10...n-scoubidou-or-defiance-wire-woven-jug-bottle

The accompanying description explains the probable origin of my basket, tying it to the grandmother from Hungary:

 

is it Hungary ...or south of France ?
I'm

 

Great conclusion to that mystery-- it's fun and festive already, and now tie in a subtext of political subversion... and it's great!

 

I remain unconvinced