This Tutsi prestige basket has been finely woven from grass fibre into a distinctive form, with a characteristically cone-shaped lid. A single darker-coloured band adorns the pinnacle of the lid, and zig-zag designs adorn the body of the basket.
Prestige igiseke baskets would have been made by highly skilled aristocratic Tutsi women. In Tutsi society, basketry weaving was a communal activity, which occurred during recreational evening gatherings to the sound of the harp. Miniature, intimate-sized baskets were made primarily to be offered as gifts. Subsequently, prestige baskets would have used to store precious objects such as the pipe of the master of the house, or displayed in the home as emblems of affluence and social importance.
H: 20cm
W: 10cm
Ex Private Collection, Belgium
Estimated Period: 1930's
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