When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
RareAntique Mescalero Apache Indian Twined Sumac Splint Gathering Basket,Circa 1800's
Thisexceptionally rare traditional Mescalero gathering basket is theearliest example I have encountered. The incorporation of two bentu-spaced reinforcing elements extending from down the sides andcrossing under the base, as seen in Western Apache gathering baskets,is mentioned in some literature describing Mescalero baskets, is veryrare and there are almost no documented or pictured examples. Thelack of tin tinklers and decorative colored areas in this basket isalso suggestive of a very early date. This basket uses primarilydiagonally-twined sumac splints, but some plain-twined areas justunder the rim and just above the base were used to reinforce certainimportant sections and also adds a certain decorative effect. Incontrast to this basket which uses a bent sumac rod as the foundationof the rim, some later Mescalero gathering baskets employ an ironring at the top rim primarily for ease of construction.For further reading on Mescalero basketry see reference: Whiteford, Andrew Hunter. 1988. Southwestern Indian baskets: their history and their makers. School of American Research Press, Santa Fe, N.M. pp.55-61.
Thisimportant example was found in an Alamogordo, NM estate andshould be considered a museum quality basket.
Dimensions: 14" tall, 12-13" wide/diameter at top, +/- 9" wide/diameter at base
Condition: Very Good. Although missing some of the wrapping splints on the rimand a few elsewhere, the basket is basically intact and quite solid. The patina is slightly weathered on the exterior and very dark fromextensive use on the interior, all indicative of significant age anduse (see photos).
