Before treatment
Condition Before Treatment
The basket was in overall fair aesthetic condition and fair structural condition. The plant material is brittle, and the basket is darkened overall. There were two large areas of loss in the bowl section and several splits throughout. There were also losses in the rim lashing and significant loss to the painted decoration.
Wood Splint Basket
America
est. 1825-1900
Collection of Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
Ash Splints
This basket is comprised of two baskets, both woven in an open simple plaiting technique. It consists of a cross-shaped exterior basket with tall, vertical sides. At the center of the cross is attached another basket, cylindrical in form with a wide, flaring mouth. Traces of orange/red and green paint can be seen on both the cross-shaped and cylindrical forms. Both pieces are made primarily from ash splints. The rim of each piece is finished with peeled and split skeins of willow. It is likely that the piece would have originally had individual smaller baskets within each arm of the cross.
Finding the Right Fill
The most difficult part of these treatment was finding an appropriate material that could be used to fill areas of loss. After testing numerous methods, it was found that strips of the appropriate thickness could be created by removing the corrugated layer of paper board, adhering the paper exteriors together, and texturing them with a dinner fork. These strips were then painted with acrylic paint and woven and adhered in place, as shown in the video.
After Treatment
Condition After Treatment
The basket is now in good structural and aesthetic condition. Overall surface grime has been reduced. Vulnerable breaks and losses have been mended, and large areas of loss have been filled to create a visually whole basket.
Images courtesy and copyright of the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library