5 inches diameter; 3 inches height

Finely woven small-scale lidded fancy basket constructed of hand-split black ash splints, exhibiting deep, uniform oxidation to a rich tobacco-brown exterior and retaining its original red-dyed interior surfaces. The basket is elaborately decorated with structurally integrated folded-splint ribbon ornamentation arranged in horizontal registers along the side wall and radiating around the lid in a pronounced sunburst formation centering a tightly woven medallion.

The lid retains its original construction and fit. The folded-splint elements remain substantially intact, with only minor peripheral rim loss consistent with more than a century of careful survival. No evidence of restoration is observed. The interior retains vibrant early dye coloration and remains structurally strong.

Baskets of this diminutive scale were inherently fragile and prone to lid separation and decorative loss. Examples retaining their original lids and the majority of their applied ornamentation are increasingly scarce. The depth of oxidation, hand-prepared splints, early dye palette, and weaving technique firmly place this example within the late 19th-century period of Wabanaki fancy basket production for the early collector market.

A remarkably well-preserved small-scale survival from the formative era of Penobscot basketry.