COVERED BASKET

George Terasaki, New York, acquired by the 1960s

Elizabeth Hickox (1872-1947) was the most famous exponent of the twined basketry tradition of northern California. Her baskets are immediately identifiable by their distinctive form, with their tall, elegant knobs, and by their remarkable delicacy and fineness, with Hickox famous for her “exceptional care taken in weaving” (Cohodas, Basket Weavers for the California Curio Trade: Elizabeth and Louise Hickox, Tucson and Los Angeles, 1997, p. 137). Hickox made her baskets for the “curio trade” and intended for them to be picked up, handled and admired. One of her most distinctive flourishes is only visible when one lifts off the lid, revealing a design on the interior of the base.