Large Penobscot Splint Ash and Sweetgrass Handled Basket Vase Presumed by Flo Shay

This is a great large Penobscot (Native New England) splint ash and sweetgrass basket woven around a clear glass vase. The splint ash visible on the bottom of the basket reveals a rainbow of hues, and the the sweetgrass on the sides and lip has been twisted and woven in a variety of patterns, including in combination with splint ash on the lower half of the vessel. The sides of the basket are finished with two large circular ash ring handles which are bound with ash splints. 

I believe this basket is the work of Flo Shay, the premier Penobscot basket weaver of the 1920's and 1930's. Her vases always have two coiled ring handles, fancy weaves in ash splints and cording, and a sweetgrass rim on both the lip and on the underside.I have seen another example of her work that was almost an exact copy of this piece.

The basket is a terrific large size, unusual for this type of item. It measures 8 1/2" tall x 7" wide; 3 3/4" across at base and 5 1/2" across from edge to edge of lip (vase opening measures 3 1/4" inside from of the glass lip.) It is in very good overall condition, with some damage to the splint ash that holds one of the handles in place (the ash shows cracking, but it still attached) and what appears to be some breakage of the underlying ash structure at the very top of the vase on one area of one side, barely visible but meaning that the lip is fragile and the basket is best picked up by the body.