Rattan and Brass Wastebasket with Braided Rim

The basket form has a long history in the French decorative arts, but the examples that survive from the 1960s and 1970s — when natural materials enjoyed a considerable vogue among designers and craftsmen — have a particular vitality that sets them apart from their more polished predecessors. This wastebasket belongs to that tradition: a cylindrical form assembled from vertical rattan canes, their natural texture and honey-brown patina the dominant aesthetic note, bound at the top by a bold braided rim of twisted rattan.

Two small loop handles, one on each side, are formed from the same material and finished with brass fittings that introduce a note of refinement against the rougher texture of the canes. At the base, a neat circular ring gives the basket stability and defines its footprint. The overall effect is robust but not rustic — the geometry is precise, the construction confident, and the natural colour variation between individual canes creates a subtle surface interest.

Objects of this kind — made by craftsmen working in the naturalist tradition that ran alongside mainstream modernism in France — are increasingly appreciated by collectors for the qualities that distinguish them from manufactured alternatives: the warmth of natural materials, the evidence of the hand, and the way they acquire character over decades of use.

A distinguished wastebasket or storage basket, equally appropriate in a study, living room, or entrance hall.