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Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
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  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
  • Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
Rare 19th-Century Appalachian Shod Gathering Basket
$225.00 USD

Virginia/West Virginia, circa 1880–1890

A wonderfully sculptural late-19th-century Appalachian white-oak splint gathering basket, probably Virginia or West Virginia, distinguished by its unusual wooden “shod” base.

The generously woven rectangular body is formed from broad, irregular hand-prepared oak splints with a doubled bentwood rim and bold, high-arching squared handle. Most remarkable are the two substantial saddle-shaped wooden shoes spanning the underside, deeply scooped through their centers and terminating in four projecting feet. Designed to raise and protect the woven bottom from damp ground and hard use, they give the basket an irresistible folk-art stance—as though it might simply walk away.

Years of honest use have beautifully rounded and worn the projecting shoes, while the basket retains a dry, mellow honey-brown surface with traces of old color. This distinctive construction relates closely to documented Virginia and West Virginia Appalachian field baskets employing wooden shoes or runners.

A particularly appealing piece of American vernacular folk sculpture—part basket, part utilitarian furniture, and entirely charming.

Probably Virginia–West Virginia, Appalachian region, circa 1880–1890.

Dimensions: 16½” W × 9¼” D × 12” H; 19” H to top of handle.

Condition: Historic wear to the wooden shoes, scattered old splint breaks and losses, abrasions and expected evidence of long utilitarian use, all contributing to its exceptional folk character.