Basket makers displayed their artistic abilities most effectively in the structure of the body, combining weaves and manipulating the tightness of wefts to produce diverse shapes. The elongated ovoid body of this basket has been plaited in a refined twill-plaited pattern which required great skill to accommodate the increasing width differentials from the top to the bottom of the basket. There are two sizes and two shades of vertical bamboo strips, one very thin and the other only slightly thicker; one darker and the other lighter. The twill plaiting has been worked into complex configurations by the manipulation of the intervals at which these varied bamboo strips have been woven together. In basic twill plaiting, one strip passes over two or three other sets. The intervals of these passover movements are carefully calculated to make the basket’s interesting pattern. Horizontal and diagonal strips of even thicker bamboo have been randomly in a free-style overlay pattern near the neck and around the ovoid body, creating a striking juxtaposition to the twill-plaited weave. Segments of thicker bamboo have been twisted to form the handle and lip. The pure and elegant simplicity of this basket truly belies the intricacy and complexity of its construction.

Since the sixteenth century, woven baskets for flowers have been favorites for use in the tea ceremony. Designed to contain fresh-cut flowers, flower baskets were also used in shrines and in the alcoves in Japanese homes (“tokonoma”), providing an atmosphere conducive to the quiet and tranquil contemplation of nature. While bamboo baskets have served various utilitarian functions in Japanese daily life for centuries, they also have been valued for their beauty. They express a Japanese aesthetic rooted in simplicity, humble natural materials and imperfect beauty. Beginning in the Meiji period, Japanese basket makers gradually transformed traditional flower baskets from utilitarian containers into sculptural masterpieces crafted in a variety of shapes, weaves and knots. Japanese baskets make aesthetically pleasing flower containers, since they bring the garden indoors and lend themselves well to natural arrangements.

CONDITION is excellent, with no breaks or losses. There is a wonderful old warm burnished finish and patina to the bamboo.

Since the sixteenth century, woven baskets for flowers have been favorites for use in the tea ceremony. Designed to contain fresh-cut flowers, flower baskets were also used in shrines and in the alcoves in Japanese homes (“tokonoma”), providing an atmosphere conducive to the quiet and tranquil contemplation of nature. While bamboo baskets have served various utilitarian functions in Japanese daily life for centuries, they also have been valued for their beauty. They express a Japanese aesthetic rooted in simplicity, humble natural materials and imperfect beauty. Beginning in the Meiji period, Japanese basket makers gradually transformed traditional flower baskets from utilitarian containers into sculptural masterpieces crafted in a variety of shapes, weaves and knots. Japanese baskets make aesthetically pleasing flower containers, since they bring the garden indoors and lend themselves well to natural arrangements.

CONDITION is excellent, with no breaks or losses. There is a wonderful old warm burnished brown finish and patina to the bamboo.