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Alec Coker (Maker), Doris Johnson (Maker)

This is an oval lipwork coiled basket made by Alec Coker and Doris Johnson. Lipwork is a technique using straw bound with another material, traditionally bramble but in this case probably cane. This basket is part of a set of three baskets, five lipwork tools and one coil sample.

1 basket: straw, cane

MERL miscellaneous note Greta Bertram, 20 August 2013 – The 'Coker Collection' of corn dollies was bequeathed to the Museum by Alec Coker, who devoted his retirement from 1965 until his death in 1986 to spreading knowledge of and teaching the craft of corn dolly making. He first became interested in the craft when working at the BBC when he encountered dollies as props on the set of ‘Lorna Doone’ in the 1930s. ‘Corn’ is a term for the family of grains which includes barley, oats, wheat and rye. ‘Corn dolly’ is a wide-ranging term which includes figures, love tokens, crosses, Scandinavian star designs, and Far Eastern shrine dolls made from ‘corn’ straw. Techniques used in the craft include tying, plaiting, weaving and marquetry. The corn dolly was originally an object used in rites and rituals, and in many parts of the world it was believed that the ‘Corn Goddess’ lived in the crop and died when it was harvested. Images of the Goddess, or other talismans, were woven from the last sheaf to be reaped and carefully preserved to ensure an abundant crop the following year. By the twentieth century, corn dollies had lost their ritual associations, and from the 1950s there was a concerted effort to preserve the craft of corn dolly making., MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – ‘Description: Coiled baskets // Three differing sized baskets in lipwork. Two baskets are round, one oval shaped and containing tools for lipwork and a coiled example. // Dimensions: 1. 26cm x 9cm // 2. 18cm x 16cm // 3. 26cm x 26cm // Associated information: Made by Alec Coker and Doris Johnson. // The tools are: // 4,5,6) 3 horn guides to control the coil size // 7) a basket needle // 8) a turkey leg needle // 9) a beginning (example) // References: A. Coker’s Collection List of Corn Dollies no.49’

Plant fibre, straw, Plant fibre