Feathered Gift Basket 1880 - 1890

This exquisite feathered basket was woven by a Pomo artist, using plant fiber, feathers, and shell. The Pomo people, indigenous to Northern California, are renowned for their intricate basketry. The basket’s concentric design is built up by coiling and stitching plant fibers. Red feathers are worked in decorative motifs, and black feathers ring the rim. Interspersed around the basket are shell pendants, and a string of beads hangs below. The basket’s visual appeal belies the considerable labor involved in its creation; gathering materials, preparing them, and then patiently weaving them together. Feathered baskets like this were not simply utilitarian objects, but luxury items given as gifts, or used for ceremonial purposes. As such, they are a testament to the Pomo’s artistic skill, and the social importance of craft within their culture. This basket challenges our conventional notions of art, inviting us to consider the artistry embedded in everyday objects.