Hazel basket (Spain)

Oval shaped basket made with strips of hazel of different width, using a perpendicular twining technique. It has a rim around the edge with a spliced sprig sewn with hemp. They are typical of rural parts of Northern Spain, Asturias and Euskadi, and are made by local craftspeople for gathering and carrying different crops. Their artisan production is struggling to survive because farming has greatly reduced, and the few remaining artisans are quite old; also, other cheaper and more functional containers, usually made of plastic, are replacing traditional ones.

Photo, David Serrano Pascual