Large Antique Painted Ash Splint Work Basket with Notched Bentwood Handles glass slides in the studio for pens

in the studio for pens and pencils

and this may be my favorite ever

I find this bird

I believe it is actually a portrait of the late artist and longtime art professor Leon Hovsepian of Worchester

if not actual execution

Large Antique Painted Ash Splint Work Basket with Notched Bentwood Handles glass slides in the studio for pensThis is a beautiful large painted swabbed antique ash splint rectangular work basket, 19th century New England Maine Native American I believe, with wonderfully irregular notched bentwood handles. While the naturally dyed color has certainly faded over time, it still shows quite nicely on the horizontal splints; with two thin bands of yellow, then two red, then two brown, then one wide yellow, and two thin red at the very bottom. The basket is sturdy