RYE STRAW GRAIN BASKET

This large lidded basket is made by coiling bundles of rye straw in tight rings and binding each row to the one below with split bramble or willow. That technique has been used in rural France for centuries. The body swells to a full, rounded belly and narrows at the shoulder to a short opening, closed by a flat coiled lid. Farmhouses used baskets like this to store grain, flour and seed, and the dense coil kept out damp and pests. Age has darkened the straw to a deep tobacco brown, with the bindings standing out in a slightly darker tone. Some strands are frayed, and the coils have softened unevenly.

FRANCE,  19C
20" x 17½"

WEAR CONSISTENT WITH AGE