Old woven basket with red buttoned interior – late 19th century

Antique woven basket box with lid and red tufted interior

A charming, antique woven basket in the shape of a small chest with a hinged lid. The weave of flat plant-fibre strands over thin wooden stakes is decorated with twisted ‘leaves’ along the top and bottom edges and two wrapped rings on the sides. Inside, the box is fully lined with red tufted (buttoned, padded) satin-like fabric, in the base as well as the lid. Antique baskets like this were used as a sewing basket, jewellery box or souvenir and gift box.

Why we chose this piece

We fell for the contrast: simple, rustic basketwork on the outside, a small theatre of deep red tufting on the inside. It is a piece of nineteenth-century domesticity that you can place straight onto a dressing table or into a display cabinet.

Style and interior

Lovely on a dressing table, in a bookcase or display cabinet, in a French brocante, romantic or country interior. Use it for jewellery, hairpins, sewing things or small treasures, or leave it open so the red interior shows.

Dimensions: length 22 cm, depth 14 cm, height approx. 10.5 cm; interior approx. 17 × 11.5 cm, 5 cm deep
Material: plant-fibre basketwork (rush/cane) over wooden stakes, pine base, red tufted fabric lining
Style: late 19th century, Napoleon III / Victorian
Period: c. 1880–1920
Origin: France
Condition: used, honest condition for its age. The basketwork is complete and sturdy, with slight dryness and the odd loose end; the tips of the stakes protrude above the rim, as originally made (photos 2 and 3). The red lining is discoloured and faded, with wear, fraying and loose threads, especially along the top edge of the lid (photos 1 and 5); most of the tufting buttons are present. The wooden base shows light signs of use (photo 6).
Price:
€ 75

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