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All items113999 of 244490Brown drip glaze pitcherLovely Studio Pottery Teapot
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    Posted 9 years ago

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    lmabeyta
    (1 item)

    Hello Basket enthusiast,

    This is my first basket... any hints as to who made it and where it is from?

    Any help would be appreciated.

    Thanks ahead of time

    Lisa

    Unsolved Mystery

    Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.

    Comments

    1. CanyonRoad, 9 years ago
      It's African, a coiled palm fiber basket, from Ethiopia.

      I always recommend the book "Art of the Basket, Traditional Basketry from Around the World" by Bryan Sentance. It has hundreds of illustrations, showing materials and techniques, plus the majority of baskets that you see every day, misidentified as American Indian baskets on eBay.

      There are lots of examples in the book of many types of Indian baskets, as well, but perhaps the most valuable part is showing the baskets that look like they could be Indian, but are actually made in Africa, or China, or elsewhere. I think it's the best reference of its type available.
    2. lmabeyta, 9 years ago
      Thank you. I am curious how you can tell?
    3. CanyonRoad, 9 years ago
      The most important factor in identifying a basket is to learn to recognize the materials used. Everything else can be duplicated or "faked" by an experienced basket maker, but the materials used are almost always found locally, native to the area.

      The techniques of basketry are pretty basic, with only slight variations. Coiled baskets are made all over the world, for example. But the particular combination of material used, the form or shape of the basket, the colors, and possible design patterns are what will narrow it down to a specific area.

      This is made from palm fiber, which pretty much eliminates North America and northern Europe, and focuses on the other areas where coiled baskets similar to this are made...like Africa, Pakistan, and Mexico. The colors, and designs, and the form, in this case, indicate north eastern Africa, which would include Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia.

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