78/46

This is a rectangular cutlery basket for use in a domestic kitchen. It is divided by partitions into three compartments, and has a handle. It is made of skeined willow and wood, and has cane ties. The sides are woven with a diamond pattern. Fragments of green material inside suggest it was once lined with green baize. The basket was probably made in a basketry factory in northern France.

1 cutlery basket: fair condition

MERL ‘Stakeholders’ recording form, December 2013 – Object number: 78/46 // Name of recorder: Mary Butcher and Maggie Smith // General construction method: Assembly // Overall shape: Rectangular (always called square work) // Materials: Willow skeins, wood, cane ties // Base: Starts with wooden H-shaped section, most of which is bound with wide skeins. Construction of basket starts with base. Centre section may also be a sandwich of 2 pieces of wood with stakes inserted between the 2 sections, or could be 1 thicker piece of wood with stakes piercing it. Centre section appears to extend to end of basket in between 2 thinner edge pieces of wood that form a sandwich around it. Binding skein of centre section starts with end inserted into hole created in the wood. Binding skein joined by overlapping. // Sides: 11 stakes each side. Woven with ‘edge on’ skein techniques for 3.5cm. Narrow skeins used to weave this section. Skein construction possibly not ‘uprighted’ because we can see varying widths. Tying on side stakes to base. NB. Side stakes of wide/thick skeins have their curved side on inside of work because you slice through the skeins as work if they’re the other way. Every 2–3cm along the side the 2 wide skeins that hold the stakes are stitched through the edge on skein on the long sides. On the short sides the stitches go into holes in the wood and are more widely spaced. In each position there are at least 2 stitches and on the short sides between 3 and 5. ?Corner posts are inserted in this staking up process but they are full rod/round willow and project below the base as do the stakes. Siding – all with very fine skeins. 1st row 3-rod wale (1 row). Followed by 5cm section of pairing with diamond pattern where weavers go in front of 2 behind 2. (Note – they ran out of space to complete the pattern.) Next, 1 row of 3-rod wale. // Border: Border. On inside whole rod that are cut into corners and bent (V-shaped cut). Carefully cut overlapping join on one narrow end of this rim section. This rim rod lies on inside stakes of corner posts and is bound on. 2nd rod of rim is wide skein that lies outside stakes and corner. Both these rim sections are bound with a fine skein holding the top of the stakes between them. Next, decorative waling is woven along outside edge and outside corner posts. Pattern – over 3 under 1(4 elements). Partitions made from 2 wooden sections – one length of the basket (inside measures), one half width. Both bound with skeins like the base section (wide skeins). 2 sections are made separately and joined together to form cross-shaped section outside the basket. Held by willow pegs, one connecting to long partition section and one connecting to rim of basket. Both held with crosses of fine skein. (Peg into wood). Top of wood section is chamfered, bottom isn’t. Partitions are then pegged into the basket with willow pegs into the wood and through rim and held with ties. These ties are cane – possibly for extra strength. // Handles: 4 whole rods shaved on inside for approximately 3cm at ends. Probably shaped round a mould. These are pegged both sides with willow pegs right through rim. 4 pegs – 1 through each rod. They go between the 2 rim rods and inside the stakes. ?Handle rods may have been inserted as rim is bound. Handle rods are bound with wide skein starting and ending with a cross inside and outside. 9 bindings one side, 13 other, before introducing the fine whole rods as leaders (thick ends inserted first). Then binding is under leaders and over whole handle in a repeating pattern under 1 over 1. As the leaders get thinner one extra is added to the group. ?Joining of wrapping skein joined under leaders. // Lid: – // Dimensions: Width 21.5–22.0cm (outside measurement), 19.0–19.5cm (inside measurement). Length 40.5–41.0cm (outside measurement), 18.0–18.5cm (inside measurement). Height 8.5cm. Height of handle from top of partition to bottom of handle 7.5cm. // Anything else to note about this particular basket: Probably from a basketry factory in northern France called Thierache. // Anything else to note about this type of basket: Mary Butcher used similar techniques to make similar reproductions for Hampton Court. Refer to ‘La Vannerie’ French manual of basketry as it details these methods. Photocopies form book would clearly explain methods., The Ann Mary Pilcher Collection of Victorian Baskets (67/60-94) was collected by Ann Mary Pilcher in 1957-1967, mostly from junk shops and stalls. Mrs Johnstone, as she became, continued to collect Victorian baskets and donated this one to the Museum in 1978., MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Standard museum name: basket, cutlery // Accession number: 78/46 // … // Recorder: DJE // Date: 9.3.78 // Description: Rectangular cutlery basket with three inner compartments and handle. Fragments of green material inside suggest it was once lined. // Dimensions: Length 41 cms. Height of sides 8.5 cms. Width 21.5 cms’

1978

Wood, willow, Wood, Plant fibre, rattan

Pilcher, Ann Mary (Donor)
Butcher, Mary (Recorder)
Smith, Maggie (Recorder)