Maidu basketry tray
Maidu basketry tray
8 3/8" diameter x 1 7/16" high
maple and dyed bracken fern
14 stitches per inch; 8 coils per inch
ex: Private Collection
circa 1920-1930
$1100.
(mc2086)
There are several groups of Maidu. The Mountain Maidu were the only one of these groups that produced all black designs on white (also known as Northeastern Maidu), The stitches on the outside of the tray (the nonworking surface) are split. Both of these characteristics, along with the leftward direction of the weave (seen on the inside of the tray or the working surface) and the materials that were used help identify this tray as Mountain Maidu. (Kania and Blaugrund, Antique Native American Basketry of Western North America: A Comprehensive Guide to Identification {Marquand Books, Seattle, 2014), p. 187-188.
One copy of this book, Antique Native American Basketry of Western North America: A Comprehensive Guide to Identification, is available for purchase. Click this link to learn more: http://www.marcyburns.com/books-collection/native-antique-american-basketry-of-western-north-america