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<p>[QUOTE="Joan, post: 9917248, member: 5398"]Here's an excerpt from a follow-up email I received yesterday from the Nantucket Historical Association:</p><p><br /></p><p><i>"Your basket shares some characteristics with baskets made on Nantucket, such as use of a wood base, wood vertical staves, and rattan weaver. However, these "Nantucket-style" elements are not necessarily evidence that the item was made on the island or by a Nantucket craftsman. Scholars no longer think that "Nantucket-style" baskets are descended from native-made examples in the way the article you mention describes. In addition, no baskets are known to have been made on board whale ships: in fact, the "Nantucket-style" did not really emerge until after the decline of whaling on the island. According to the NHA's curatorial staff, based on the method of construction and materials used, your basket was possibly manufactured between 1865 and 1880." </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>Since I was still curious about where the term "lollipop" originated, I did more research and the first mention of it that I could find online was in an August 29, 2005 article in "Antiques And The Arts Weekly" about a "heart-form" open Nantucket lightship basket" (no handle) that sold for $115,000 at the August 6, 2005 Rafael Osana auction.</p><p><a href="https://www.rafaelosonaauction.com/antiques/undated-prices-realized/world-record-nantucket-basket/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.rafaelosonaauction.com/antiques/undated-prices-realized/world-record-nantucket-basket/" rel="nofollow">https://www.rafaelosonaauction.com/antiques/undated-prices-realized/world-record-nantucket-basket/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/nantucket-basket-record-smashed-at-osonas/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/nantucket-basket-record-smashed-at-osonas/" rel="nofollow">https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/nantucket-basket-record-smashed-at-osonas/</a></p><p>[ATTACH=full]498193[/ATTACH]</p><p>In that article, Rafael Osana is quoted as saying that he <i>"arranged to get a basket on loan for an exhibit at the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum three years ago </i>[2002]<i>....that is smaller and had <b>“lollipops”</b> </i>[not heart forms] <i>on the end of the staves." </i></p><p><br /></p><p>Then I found a similar Nantucket basket auctioned by Bonhams Skinner in 2008 almost identical to the $115,000 basket, but with rounded stave ends. It was called a "Nantucket <b><u>Lollipop</u></b> Basket." So maybe that was the first time the term lollipop was used for a Nantucket basket auction??</p><p><a href="https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2431/lots/238" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2431/lots/238" rel="nofollow">https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2431/lots/238</a></p><p><br /></p><p>After that I found later examples on auctions from 2017-2024 of the <b><u>more primitive</u></b> <b><u>Nantucket-style baskets</u></b> like mine. The sellers call them Nantucket not Nantucket-style, so maybe they have evidence that they were actually made on Nantucket. In any case, they're listed on Rafael Osana, Eldred's, Kennedy's (TN), bidsquare.com, and 1st Dibs as Nantucket lollipop or double lollipop baskets (typical internet copying of catchy terminology?).</p><p><br /></p><p>I also found new Nantucket "Lollipop Form" baskets made by Lucille La Rochelle (similar to the $115,000 antique basket) and offered for sale at</p><p><a href="https://www.fourwindscraftguild.com/product-page/lollipop-form-baskets-by-lucille-la-rochelle" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.fourwindscraftguild.com/product-page/lollipop-form-baskets-by-lucille-la-rochelle" rel="nofollow">https://www.fourwindscraftguild.com/product-page/lollipop-form-baskets-by-lucille-la-rochelle</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>I also found an Antiques Roadshow video from 2014, in which Leigh Keno appraised a basket ($1500-$2500) similar to mine but much better condition and said (I'm paraphrasing) his gut feeling was that it was from New England probably near the coast, late 19th century, great expression of folk art, probably not a Nantucket basket—construction too primitive (similar to what the NHA archivist said about my basket).</p><p><br /></p><p>In any case, there's an active auction for a basket almost identical to mine (missing the handle, less damage) offered by Eldred's Auctions ($1000 starting bid). I found the same basket was auctioned by Rafael Osana in August 2023 (results not shown).</p><p><br /></p><p>The Eldred's/invaluable.com auction ends tomorrow morning (Sept. 13), so I plan to see if it gets any bids.</p><p><a href="https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/rare-nantucket-double-lollipop-basket-19th-centur-8652-c-26e4c22910" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/rare-nantucket-double-lollipop-basket-19th-centur-8652-c-26e4c22910" rel="nofollow">https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/rare-nantucket-double-lollipop-basket-19th-centur-8652-c-26e4c22910</a></p><p>[ATTACH=full]498195[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]498206[/ATTACH]</p><p>Maybe some day evidence will turn up as to whether or not my basket was made on Nantucket. Until then, I'll call it a 19th century Nantucket-style double lollipop basket.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you to [USER=301]@komokwa[/USER], [USER=10944]@J Dagger[/USER] and [USER=51]@Lucille.b[/USER] for your help and suggestions for learning about my basket.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Joan, post: 9917248, member: 5398"]Here's an excerpt from a follow-up email I received yesterday from the Nantucket Historical Association: [I]"Your basket shares some characteristics with baskets made on Nantucket, such as use of a wood base, wood vertical staves, and rattan weaver. However, these "Nantucket-style" elements are not necessarily evidence that the item was made on the island or by a Nantucket craftsman. Scholars no longer think that "Nantucket-style" baskets are descended from native-made examples in the way the article you mention describes. In addition, no baskets are known to have been made on board whale ships: in fact, the "Nantucket-style" did not really emerge until after the decline of whaling on the island. According to the NHA's curatorial staff, based on the method of construction and materials used, your basket was possibly manufactured between 1865 and 1880." [/I] Since I was still curious about where the term "lollipop" originated, I did more research and the first mention of it that I could find online was in an August 29, 2005 article in "Antiques And The Arts Weekly" about a "heart-form" open Nantucket lightship basket" (no handle) that sold for $115,000 at the August 6, 2005 Rafael Osana auction. [URL]https://www.rafaelosonaauction.com/antiques/undated-prices-realized/world-record-nantucket-basket/[/URL] [URL]https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/nantucket-basket-record-smashed-at-osonas/[/URL] [ATTACH=full]498193[/ATTACH] In that article, Rafael Osana is quoted as saying that he [I]"arranged to get a basket on loan for an exhibit at the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum three years ago [/I][2002][I]....that is smaller and had [B]“lollipops”[/B] [/I][not heart forms] [I]on the end of the staves." [/I] Then I found a similar Nantucket basket auctioned by Bonhams Skinner in 2008 almost identical to the $115,000 basket, but with rounded stave ends. It was called a "Nantucket [B][U]Lollipop[/U][/B] Basket." So maybe that was the first time the term lollipop was used for a Nantucket basket auction?? [URL]https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2431/lots/238[/URL] After that I found later examples on auctions from 2017-2024 of the [B][U]more primitive[/U][/B] [B][U]Nantucket-style baskets[/U][/B] like mine. The sellers call them Nantucket not Nantucket-style, so maybe they have evidence that they were actually made on Nantucket. In any case, they're listed on Rafael Osana, Eldred's, Kennedy's (TN), bidsquare.com, and 1st Dibs as Nantucket lollipop or double lollipop baskets (typical internet copying of catchy terminology?). I also found new Nantucket "Lollipop Form" baskets made by Lucille La Rochelle (similar to the $115,000 antique basket) and offered for sale at [URL]https://www.fourwindscraftguild.com/product-page/lollipop-form-baskets-by-lucille-la-rochelle[/URL]. I also found an Antiques Roadshow video from 2014, in which Leigh Keno appraised a basket ($1500-$2500) similar to mine but much better condition and said (I'm paraphrasing) his gut feeling was that it was from New England probably near the coast, late 19th century, great expression of folk art, probably not a Nantucket basket—construction too primitive (similar to what the NHA archivist said about my basket). In any case, there's an active auction for a basket almost identical to mine (missing the handle, less damage) offered by Eldred's Auctions ($1000 starting bid). I found the same basket was auctioned by Rafael Osana in August 2023 (results not shown). The Eldred's/invaluable.com auction ends tomorrow morning (Sept. 13), so I plan to see if it gets any bids. [URL]https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/rare-nantucket-double-lollipop-basket-19th-centur-8652-c-26e4c22910[/URL] [ATTACH=full]498195[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]498206[/ATTACH] Maybe some day evidence will turn up as to whether or not my basket was made on Nantucket. Until then, I'll call it a 19th century Nantucket-style double lollipop basket. Thank you to [USER=301]@komokwa[/USER], [USER=10944]@J Dagger[/USER] and [USER=51]@Lucille.b[/USER] for your help and suggestions for learning about my basket.[/QUOTE]
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