Nantucket Basket by Jose Formoso Reyes, circa 1950

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Nantucket Basket by Jose Formoso Reyes, circa 1950

About the Item

Vintage Jose Reyes Nantucket Cocktail Purse, circa Early 1950s, an early petite free-form creel-shaped covered basket with cane weave on cane staves, swing handle held by early copper rivets, and having a carved ebony sperm whale by Charlie Sayle mounted on a maple top plate, the lid fastened by carved ebony peg, the pine bottom signed "Made In .U.S.A. , Jose Formoso Reyes." This is an exceptionally early purse by Reyes that has a five-sided creel shaped base that weaves out as an oval; the basket was woven free-form without a mold and so exhibits a delightful slight bombe or pot-belly shape; the signature on the bottom is a rarely seen variant stating "Made in the USA" instead of "Made in Nantucket" and does not yet include an engraved silhouette of the island. This is a beautiful early Reyes basket in the very desirable and hard to find diminutive "cocktail purse" size. Jose Reyes (1902 - 1980) was born in the Philippines and moved to Nantucket immediately following World War II in 1947. He met Mitchy Ray, the last person on island still making Nantucket baskets at that time, and learned the craft. Within a few years Jose adapted the traditional Lightship basket form to a purse by adding a lid and a swing handle, launching the modern era in the Nantucket basket saga. Reyes remains highly revered and collected as a great innovator and the inventor of the Nantucket Purse. Charlie Sayle was a Nantucket fisherman and folk artist whom Reyes approached for an idea of what to put on top of his basket lids. Charlie chose to carve sperm whales, first in ebony and then also from whale teeth. He later added gulls in flight or a silhouette of the island as additional choices. The basket is in mint original condition, with a perfect warm honey colored patina. The leather shoulder strap (an option Reyes offered even in early days in lieu of a wooden swing handle) is a later replacement of the worn out original. Measures: 5-1/4 in H x 7-1/4 in L x 5-3/82 W.

Creator:
Jose Formoso Reyes (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 5.25 in (13.34 cm)Width: 7.25 in (18.42 cm)Depth: 5.38 in (13.67 cm)
Style:
Folk Art (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Cane,Hand-Crafted
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1950
Condition:
Replacements made: The braided leather shoulder strap is a later replacement of the worn out original one. Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Nantucket, MA
Reference Number:
Seller: AD - 279-47 HOHR1stDibs: LU903931476672