Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
by
Berthold Laufer
Curator of Anthropology
38 Plates
V*!
1925
CHINESE BASKETS
by
Berthold Laufkr
Curator of Anthropology
38 Plates
5^;, fr|Tf
^;;^|j
1925
CHINESE BASKETS
PREFACE
vessels. In the case just cited the mortuary basket is a substitute for a pottery
urn which is usually deposited in the grave in the provinces of Chi-li, Shan-tung,
and Kiang-su. There are two ancient types of rectangular baskets known asfu
and kivei and used for boiled grain at sacrifices and ceremonial feasts; they are
preserved only in pottery and bronze (for illustrations, see op. cit., Plate 25, and
Art in America, October, 1925, Fig. 4), which give us at least a vague idea of
what they may have looked like in basketry. On the other hand, there are ancient
sacrificial vessels of tazza shape in pottery and bronze, which at present have
survived in basket form in the worship of Confucius and his disciples (Plate 38)
There is a fundamental difference between the baskets of northern China
and those of the central and southern portions of the country. In the north they
are part and parcel of the rural population, plain, practical, strong, durable,
chiefly for agricultural purposes, as collecting and carrying earth and manure,
winnowing, storing grain, or used as means of transportation (hamper and
dossers) These being exclusively of ethnological interest have not been included
.
in this publication, which is devoted to the artistic baskets whose home is in the
Yangtse Valley and the country stretching southward. Here we meet in full
development the flower basket with a great variety of shapes and graceful handles,
the picnic basket with padlock, the neat travelling basket in which women
carry their articles of toilet, and the "examination basket" in which candidates
visiting the provincial capital for the civil service examinations enclosed their
books and writing-materials, also the cozy for tea-pots, more practical and efficient
than our thermos-bottles, and the curious pillow of basketry weave. The basket
boxes with raised and gilded relief ornaments are also characteristic of the south.
In accordance with the general interest in Chinese art and art industries in
this country, there is now also a considerable interest in and demand for Chinese
baskets. They make a ready appeal to our esthetic sense on account of their
elegance of shape, variety of design, and other artistic features, not to speak of
usefulness of purpose. Chinese genius has developed baskets along lines un-
known in other countries; it was not merely satisfied with creating pleasing
forms and attractive decorations, but also endeavored to combine basketry with
other materials like wood, metal, and lacquer, and to enliven and embellish its
appearance through the application of processes originally foreign to the indus-
try. The covers of many baskets display a finely polished, black lacquer surface
on which landscapes or genre pictures are painted in gold or red. Others are
decorated with metal fittings (of brass or white metal) finely chased or treated
in open work. Delicate basketry weaving is applied to the exterior of wooden
boxes and chests, even to silver bowls and cups, as may be seen in the exhibits
(at present at the south end of the west gallery). In this association with other
modes of technique Chinese basketry has taken a unique development which
should be seriously studied and considered by our own industrial art-workers.
In accordance with the object of this design series, this publication does not
aim at a scientific study of the subject, but is primarily intended for the designer,
craftsman, and art student. Nevertheless hoped that the technical student
it is
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FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. ANTHROPOLOGY. DESIGN SERIES NO. 3, PLATE XV.
WICKERWARE BASKET.
Of coil weave, fitted with a porcelain tea-pot. The spout projects through a perforation in the lock, making it possible to pour without
removing the pot from the cozy. The hinges are in shape of double coins, and the hook for fastening is in form of a fish.
CANTON, KWANG-TUNG.
Height 7K inches. Diameter g inche
Cat. No. 126174.
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FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. ANTHROPOLOGY, DESIGN SERIES NO. 3, PLATE XIX.
OCTAGONAL BASKET.
Base, trimmings, and cover of wood. Basketry in double layers; on the exterior, split bamboo in checker and twined weaves; in the
interior, twilled weaving in yellow and brown. The painting on the black-lacquered cover represents a mother holding a child two boys are ;
engaged in wrestling.
CH'ENG HIEN, SHAO-HING FU, CHE-KIANG.
Height 6Vs inches. Diameter lo'/l> inches.
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FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. ANTHROPOLOGY, DESIGN SERIES NO. 3, PLATE XXII.
OCTAGONAL BASKET-
Of same technique. The painting on the black-lacquered cover represents two mainah birds perching on a branch. On the black-lacquered
base raised designs in gold of flowers and bats alternating.
CH'ENG MIEN, SHAO-HING FU, CHE-KIANG.
Height 6 inches. Diameter 9-K inches.
Cat. No. 126162.
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PRINTED BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS