Knife Carving - Large Ribbon Basket - Folk Art - Massif Central - Primitive Art

Mid-19th century, Puy-de-Dôme, Massif Central. Large carved wooden ribbon bag, a product of the folk art of the Massif Central. The object is striking first and foremost for its silhouette. An openwork, almost architectural frame rises like a small rural facade with pronounced "ears," creating a central void that allows the wood to breathe. Below, a series of long, irregular, vertical strips shimmer slightly, each pierced with small, regular holes designed to hold a ribbon. The decoration, carved with a knife, covers almost the entire surface. Nested triangles, lozenge-shaped friezes, sunbursts: a simple, ancestral geometric vocabulary, repeated with unwavering precision. Nothing academic here. The gesture is direct, confident, almost meditative. Each incision captures the light and gives the wood a vibrant rhythm. The slight asymmetry of the strips, the variations in depth of the carving, the micro-accidents of the lines reveal an entirely handmade execution. One can read time, the hand, patience in it. The object is not decorative in the worldly sense of the word: it is inhabited. Traces of old green polychromy remain in the hollows, like a discreet memory of a more vibrant presence in the past. Today, the patina is dry, warm, profoundly authentic. An old crack runs through the upper part; it is stable and contributes to the material truth of the piece. Wear, small losses, and irregularities are consistent with age and use. This large basket transcends its primary function to become an almost sculptural form, graphic, radical in its simplicity. It belongs to those 19th-century rural objects that were not intended to seduce, but to serve—and which, through the sincerity of their craftsmanship, resonate today with undiminished power. Dimensions Height: 26 cm Condition Stable old crack in the upper part. Wear, small losses, and old patina consistent with age. Shipping All deliveries are made by DHL Express only.