M26 | Model basket
Anonyme - Anonymous
Eastern Woodlands
Aboriginal: Mi'kmaq or Maliseet
1865-1900, 19th century
Wood (splints)
0.7 x 0.5 cm
Gift of Mr. David Ross McCord
M26
© McCord Museum
Description
Keywords: Model (422)
Keys to History
Both the Mi'kmaq and tourists shared a taste for miniatures. Small reproductions made it possible to acquire objects that in the original form were too large for easy handling. Tiny and fragile, miniatures were also appreciated for the skill involved in producing an exact, small-scale replica of a larger object.
The person responsible for these baskets, which are just 7 mm in diameter, that is, half the size of a 10-cent coin, was a consummate artist. Wood splints are difficult in themselves to work with, even more so when they are very fine. Here, they are worked to perfection!
-
What
These five miniature baskets each measure just under 7 mm in diameter. They are made of wood splints, a material that is both pliable and fragile.
-
Where
These miniatures come from Nova Scotia.
-
When
The baskets were made between 1875 and 1900.
-
Who
The anonymous Mi'kmaq artist who made these baskets was an expert in the art of basketweaving. David Ross McCord noted in his Acquisitions Register that the artist, who was 93 years old in 1914, had made them 35 years before that date for the wife of a navy admiral.
Visitors' comments
Add a comment