Lidded Basket
CultureChitimacha, Louisiana
Dateca. 1850
MediumNatural and dyed river cane
DimensionsOverall: 8 × 6 × 5 3/4 inches (20.32 × 15.24 × 14.61 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: Donald D. Jones Fund for American Indian Art
Object number2004.33 A,B
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionLidded basket of vertical, rectangular form with gently curving sides; surface covered with design of meandering lines visually superimposed over diagonal light and dark bands.Gallery LabelThe Chitimacha of Louisiana are the acknowledged masters of woven polychrome baskets of dyed river cane. This superb example, with its beautifully controlled rectilinear shape and carefully fitted lid, is ornamented with a meandering, scroll-like pattern inspired by ancient Mississippian pottery designs. Called Nactcua-aki, the design is said to represent alligator entrails. Created with the simplest technique called plaiting, this polychrome basket represents the highest development of the form called double weave. Here, one basket is essentially woven inside another and the two are then interwoven at the rim.
Torrence, Gaylord, ed. Continuum: North American Native Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
