Apache Basket with Star and Cross Pictorials, 3.25" x 11.5"

Description

c. 1890s-1900s Apache Basket with Star and Cross Pictorials, 3.25" x 11.5"
This basket is in very good condition. There is some minor stitch loss and some minor fading ont the interior.
Acquired from a private collection in Alaska.
Please reference item SK92306-1119-001.
Apache trays can range from flat, to slightly curved, to almost bowl-shaped.
Apache trays with pictorial elements (dogs, horses, and or people) are the most valuable. If the elements are done in a third color, red - generally a deeper red made from yucca root - the baskets can be extremely valuable. These are called polychrome Apache baskets and they bring a premium.
Almost all old Apache baskets’ main coloration will be a yellow foundation. This is from willow shoots which are originally white, but over time are oxidized by the sun turning the willow stitches to a nice mellow yellow color.
More modern Apache baskets are made out of traditional materials, but the willow stitch is a whitish coloration.
The patination of the older baskets is one of the key elements that helps to date them.
Apache trays were originally made for winnowing grain or for food usage.
Medicine Man Gallery has been in the Antique Native American art business since 1992.
We have one of the largest inventories of Antique Native American art for sale in the country, offering
Navajo Rugs and Blankets, American Pueblo Pottery, Indian Baskets, Hopi Kachinas, Old Pawn Jewelry, Contemporary Native American Jewelry, and Native American Beadwork, as well as Ethnographic Art, Western Americana and Art of the West.
Before purchasing please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about the condition of this item; we are happy to send additional images.