Chinese Basket-Form Bowl

A plump round basket in ridged weave, topped with a tidy little knob.

This porcelain basket-form bowl is from China, and dates to the 20th century. Potters sometimes modeled porcelain to resemble woven baskets, with molded or pierced lattice walls and a looped handle, translating one craft into another. A squat, rounded lidded container with horizontal bands of raised weave wrapping the body and the domed cover. The lid ends in a small segmented knob, and the surface has a deep, mellow brown tone with darker recesses. It is 4 inches high and 6.5 in diameter.

Neat as a pin, and shaped like it knows its own worth.