Tlingit Native American Basketry Wrapped Bottle, Early 20th Century fun cup international cast of characters carved

international cast of characters carved in relief around the faceted perimeter

This is truly a treasure trove

and is adhered to a paper backing (on which text is written) which measures 6” x 7 3/8”

densely covering every inch of the top and most of the sides--all very painstakingly done

and yelling "it's not fair" as she runs

Tlingit Native American Basketry Wrapped Bottle, Early 20th Century fun cup international cast of characters carvedI have a hard time wrapping my head around the process of so finely wrapping a bottle in woven basketry, but Tlingit basket makers of southeast Alaska were exceptional basket makers, using spruce root to create pieces like this, which I believe dates to sometime between 1900 1920s, with natural dyes for the color. Though showing a fair amount of loss, this is a very good example, with the bands of bold, quintessentially Tlingit geometric patterns