Lovely Antique Sailor Made Knotwork Basket French astronomy This lovely old checkerboard-type parquetry

This lovely old checkerboard-type parquetry egg-shaped finial surely once attached to something

uncleaned and a bit dirty

But even if not venturing to try to solve them

but overall excellent condition

Lovely Antique Sailor Made Knotwork Basket French astronomy This lovely old checkerboard-type parquetryI'm a huge fan of antique sailor made baskets, crafted from fishing twine while out at sea and typically intended as love tokens to be delivered upon return. I love the thought of sailors doing what was essentially macrame in their spare time, and what fine work and lots of labor this one represents. I haven't found a nice example in a long time, and this one is exactly what I look for, very well done, with clean lines, and several different knotting