Tutsi Agaseki or Ibeseke Basket

Long and narrow, like a steeple that took up basketry as a hobby.

This agaseki or ibeseke basket is Tutsi, from Rwanda, East Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Coiled and sewn from plant fibers such as grasses, these baskets generally rely on tightly bound bundles to produce firm, even walls and a neat, flat base. A slender lidded form in warm amber, its lid stretching up into a narrow spire. A few uneven black lines circle the lower body, thin and a little shaky, against finely worked coils. It is 7.75 inches high and 3.5 in diameter.

Skinny silhouette, steady hands, and a decidedly lofty outlook.